


Rise of the Avatar - Book One: Storm

by RedRuse



Series: Rise of the Avatar [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - The Fire Nation Won, Avatar Cycle, Avatar State, Bending (Avatar), Bloodbending (Avatar), Character Development, Developing Relationship, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Elements, Fire Lord Azula, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Major Original Character(s), Mastering, Mentions of Canon, Minor Original Character(s), New Avatar, North Pole, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phoenix King Ozai, Prisoner of War, Self-Doubt, Spirit World, Spirits, Started as a roleplay, Trans Character, War, Waterbending, Waterbending & Waterbenders, original - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-23 05:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 130,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13780971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRuse/pseuds/RedRuse
Summary: Finally, after a hundred years of war, the Avatar was found in the South Pole, reincarnated into the next nation of the cycle. Renya is a lousy excuse of a waterbender with no formal training and no real world experience. All that’s in store for him is a life in prison, where he is left to rot before he even has a chance to save the world; a world that is past the point of war.  The obvious next steps are to escape and restore balance, but what if Ren, the Avatar incarnate himself, doesn't believe balance can be obtained? Ren isn't a hero, he's no good guy. There's nothing left for him to save anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is always subject to change...
> 
> The number of chapters will be adjusted/shortened after completion so I can fix the awkward middle section (roughly chapter 10 to chapter 30).
> 
> Sorry if you don't like this or it's not what you're interested in. I just really wanted to put this idea out there and, maybe, get some feedback. What I'd like most is to get people invested in this just as much as I am. This show is phenomenal so I only hope I can do it some justice.
> 
> Buckle in, folks.  
> Follow me on Instagram @/oldewaan for art in regards to this series and whatever else I develop :,)  
>  
> 
>  
> 
> **An extra special thanks to user s_itsnotme for their amazing help with revisions in the summary! I’ll do my best to keep it in check.**

#####  It begins with a dream. . . . 

Foreign, yet sweetly familiar. A comforting dream that just seems so real... Soothing and warm... The sun shines brilliantly overhead and the ocean shimmers in its grace, almost flicking back a sort of gesture of welcome. It expanded for miles upon miles, farther than any eye could ever see. Meanwhile the ice was a pristine white that was as dazzling as the moon during a cold night. It crunched under fur boots but, somehow, any print was covered back up in an instant. 

From behind was the slight chatter of a community. Smoke billowed in soft plumes from fires and the smell of fish cooking was enough to make any stomach growl; didn't matter how hungry you were or weren't, that's just what it did to you. Children were laughing throughout the course of their games, women spoke amongst each other in soft tones, and the men laughed as they prepared their tools for a day of hunting. Without looking, it was obvious just where this place was.

It was the Southern Water Tribe - _Home,_ no less - yet at the same time it wasn't. No doubt was this the South Pole, home of a simpler group of people that rivaled the populated city in the north. It just wasn't _his_ home. The Southern Tribe he knew was virtually nonexistent, scarce in its numbers and on the brink of extinction. The sun hardly shined and the people hardly spoke; there wasn't a single child there capable of laughter. By now, they probably were all dead. And the reality was what startled a possibly eighteen year-old prisoner from his slumber.

 

There was no denying the ache in his body as soon as the dream ended, his throat raw and sore from dehydration... His head was pounding away like a ceremonial drum, but there was nothing to celebrate. The supposed "Avatar", hailing from the South Pole and the Southern Water Tribe, was a near-lifeless heap on the cold, stone ground of his cell. Ren's hands were tightly bound and covered by reinforced steel, a chain link from the wrists connecting to a heavy belt around his waist; his ankles were chained together as well, but it would make no difference whether his legs were limited or not. All he really cared about, at the end of this fifth month of "true" acceptance, was the bland wall across from him and opposite to the bolted door.

Nearly two years locked away in this prison, with no access to anything outside of the dry slop fed to him every so often. Any water? Hydration? Forget about it. Whenever he was given water, there would always be a considerable handful of guards that lined the walls of his cell and watched him gulp down the cool, life-saving liquid. As it grew to be more of a luxury than a means of escape - that tiny cup of water - using it to his advantage had completely left his mind.

But now... Today was a little bit different; today was the day he made progress.

_'Avatar Shmavatar..'_ Ren's thoughts slurred, the corner of his dried, cracked lips twitching up into a thin smile. See, today was the day he got this little chunk of old stone two inches from his nose to move, lifting from its flat face to teeter on its point and then come flopping back over on to its other side. It could've very well been just a chance of his breath, or some small tremor in the floor that caused it to sort of bounce like that, but there was always a chance that it wasn't. That was the bitter, half-hearted illusion Ren chose to cling to in the midst of his own despair. 

In the event that it wasn't his breath or a tremor, it would explain the massive, splitting headache he got from concentrating so hard; that, or he was starving and dehydrated. Which wasn't that far off, either. A small shard of stone that was no bigger than the first knuckle of his pinkie, however, no matter the origins of its movement, wasn't going to do anything against an armored Fire Nation soldier, but at that point it was the only thing keeping him occupied. Sane, if you will. Earthbending, he deemed, was borderline impossible for a waterbender. The legends of the Avatar mastering all elements was complete bogus, the scholar that had washed up in an overturned boat at his doorstep was absolutely crazy, and, you know what, maybe Ren had already gone completely bonkers too.

If he was the Avatar, shouldn't he have been able to bust out by now?  
That was the thought that came to his mind every other hour, starting from a year ago.

His eyes stared beyond the small shred of stone, looking at something, yet seeing nothing at all. When was the last time they brought him water in the first place? The dryness was almost suffocating and incredibly grueling on his already weathered body; even the pain in his limbs, stiff from constantly being held in the same position for god knows how long, and his pounding headache had dumbed down to a low beat. This was no way to live, and yet he had managed it this far. In fact, he was sure everyone else at that prison was managing somehow.

Ren swallowed thickly, cringing at the way his tongue scratched the roof of his mouth before continuing to stare. Zaken, the scholar from the North, kept coming back to his mind, becoming the one strand of faux hope that part of him clung to so desperately. _'First water, then earth, then fire, then air...'_ the old man's voice repeated in his head, distant and too soft to make much sense out of. But he had heard it so many times during the year that he didn't need to hear it again; the order that the Avatar from the water tribes had to learn the elements in. He wanted to laugh bitterly, and to him wasting the energy to do it seemed perfectly worth it.

Sudden, and almost like a voice, a sound made its way around the halls, passing by occupied and unoccupied cells. The sound didn't come without a presence to match it either. They were footsteps, heavy with the wait of armor and authority. You could usually tell when it was time for water or food - considering how scarce it tended to be for him - so the sound of a guard might've meant that they were about to alleviate some of his suffering. Some of it.. He whimpered in spite of his best efforts to keep it to himself, all thoughts of Avatars and bending and home completely abolished from his mind. Thank the gods that were out there, because the bolts on his door started to undo.

There were two guards - quite a big difference compared to the usual amount - and with them was a can of water. It was metallic, it was warm, but bless the Moon it was still water. So came the usual process; they mocked him, forced him upright, kept his limbs pinned and his hands covered so that he couldn't move or reach the water himself, but whatever they were saying about him fell on numb ears. He was greedy with his gulps of water the minute the rim of the slightly stained can touched his lips, even going so far as to scold himself for not savoring it. This very desperation had the two guards laughing - admittedly with some obvious hesitance. But it didn't matter by the end of it, because they moved on in mere minutes.

Ren allowed himself to slump against the wall, listening to the steps fade away with their routine checks. No doubt did he feel "pitiful" for his reaction, but he was as content as one could be locked up in a prison like a rabid beast. This was just what his life had become ever since he left the South Pole.

So there was the matter of his story; who was he really? Where did he come from? Why was he there?  
Renya, age fifteen at the time and affectionately called Ren by his mother, was taken from his home in the South Pole due to suspicions of him being the Avatar; he was the only waterbender in all of the South, but no one knew until later on after the previous attacks. He was kept imprisoned within the heart of the Fire Nation for nearly two years, unable to escape by any means. They kept him weak, they kept him away from water - the only element they knew he could control - and kept him bound CONSTANTLY. Just as he continued to be now. At one point during the first few months, supposed "experts", sages from temples, came in to confirm whether or not he really was the Avatar. Their tests, speculations and theories were all hazy, to the point where their vists seemed like dreams themselves. Since he was still alive and imprisoned so intently, he could only assume that that was the case. Or they kept him like that to pretend that everything was under control, a ploy to save a little face.

During his time there, however, he heard of all the stories of the Fire Nation's sieges from the mouths of the guards that tended to him, and the destruction and pain they brought. Because of that, he just got angrier and angrier, his new desire being that he wanted nothing more than to escape. If he really was the Avatar, then surely there was something he could do.  
Right?

No. That spurt of confidence and resolve felt like an eternity ago, faded like the burn mark on the small of his back. Now, Ren didn't know why he was still alive. Was it a subtle act of defiance? Was there part of him that wanted to live, and some day escape? Funny thing is, the teen had put himself into this very situation - and, in turn, put himself in that very cell. When the Fire Nation came back to his home, still hellbent on finding the "mysterious" and "ellusive" Avatar, Ren had told (well, _shown_ ) them that he was there. It was to save his tribe and what little remained of it, but even now... Well, he didn't know if anyone was still alive.

 

Ren's vision was practically swimming by that point, the cells of his body letting themselves be rejuvenated by the more recent drink. It was enough to keep him alive - that was the intention, of course - but nowhere near enough for it to make much of a difference. He wanted to sleep, to pass through the hours like usual until the day he would rot away and die. Sure, the dreams of an unfamiliar land and an unfamilair voice would come back, but they were much more fuzzy the longer his sentence dragged on; maybe they'll completely stop this time.

As he slipped off the wall and fell over onto his side, chains rattling, he completely missed the sound of stone scraping stone. The block in the wall opposite of the door - one that had been loosened some time before Ren's own arrival - was no longer in its place. He was too disoriented, too quickly swallowed up by the darkness to notice; therefore, the new hole in the wall and the frost bitten arm that came hesitantly through _also_ completely missed his attention.  
Ren was out like a light.


	2. Chapter 2

When he came to, the scarce natural light that filtered into his cell was tinted with orange. From that, it was safe to assume that it was either the beginning of a new day or the end of another. Time stood as an illusion here, where Ren had no way to keep track by scratching at the wall or had no way to guess where he actually was. The colors became more and more scarce the longer he stayed there, everything blending into the same, unforgiving shade of burgundy as the walls and his tattered clothing. His stomach grumbled with a weak voice, soreness returned to his joints as the sleep ebbed away. His coarse, dark brown hair lay askew over his face and scratched against his skin. A strand dared to poke out his eye - he could practically feel it threatening to slip off his brow - but fell back to the side as, with great reluctance, the teen gathered himself up into a sitting position.

Perhaps it was due to good fortune that he was still capable of movement. Unlike before Ren had fallen asleep, there was a weird kind of energy present in his body. A clarity was carefully coming to the surface in an unfamiliar fashion; suddenly the details of the wall and the floor, the rough scratches in the metal of his shackles, all of it became clear. Like a fog had lifted, there was something so interesting about looking around. Ren swallowed heavily and with great difficulty, leaning far back against the wall and sinking further down. He was caught in an uncomfortable position, sure, but it reduced the strain of the metal belt around his waist.

While the clarity was a nice change of pace, it was also a new kind of curse. Time crawled at a snail's pace now and the shadows brought on by the outside light hardly moved. Now that he was aware, Ren almost wished he wasn't. What was he to spend his time on? Reminiscing?  
No thanks.  
Degrading himself with bitter thoughts?  
Likely, but not because he entirely wanted to.  
Meditating?  
Best bet, probably, however he never received any training on meditation, and there was nothing he could gain from it. 

The Avatar was, according to the oh-so-wise Zaken of the Northern Water Tribe, the bridge between the Spirit World and their own. They could communicate with the spirits, past lives, and achieve a rare type of Zen that even great masters couldn't. Whatever the Avatar could do was up to endless theories, just because no one had seen him or had spoken of him in over a century. So, meditation was their forte or something like that. Ren wanted to play with the idea of it, to mock it like his life depended on it, but he could hardly move as it was. Sitting in the lotus positon would take a flexibility he didn't possess; even _without_ the chains or shackles holding him.

Despite his doubts, Ren found his eyelids lulling shut and his breath slowing. Every expansion of his lungs against the confines of his own chest ached terribly, his entire body was far too tense, and the longer he had his eyes closed the more attuned to his own physical pain he became. It was distracting. There was this weird tapping sound, too, that was bound to drive him insane at this rate. It ticked a little unevenly, even stuttering to slide against the surface of his eardrums. Annoyed, his brow twitched. Admittedly, the sound reminded him of footsteps but they quite obviously weren't; it was far too light and distant to be. He summed it up as the hitch of his own heartbeat as it worked far too hard to keep him alive. 

Yeah... His heart was pounding. Each beat shook his entire frail body, the sensation radiating all the way down to his stomach and making him sick. He never liked this weakness, nor would he ever get used to it. Feeling one's own heart was terribly unnerving and enough to make him panic even more. Ren's eyelids fluttered as his heart startled him out of his half-assed focus, breath catching in his throat and the panic of _feeling_ himself dying - that's what he thought was happening - kept him from even considering meditation ever again.

 

That ended up not being a priority anyways. Finally, he noticed the newfound hole in the wall and the brick that had been pushed to the side. Along one side were a trail of scratches deeply embedded into the stone, as if they had been carved in. Along the other was the same amount of dust that covered the walls of the cell, seemingly untouched and undisturbed. Ren let his eyes follow hesitantly, warily, to the dragged trail across the dirty floor back to the opening. From his place so far away, it was impossible to see anything that may lay beyond the wall. All there was was a sort of darkness.

Something moved out of that darkness then, pale and starkly contrasting to everything he had seen over the years that had a flicker of light behind it. He gasped in spite of himself, eyes widening when the pale and red-edged, blackened hand came waving through the stone. The discoloration were quite obviously a case of severe frostbite - you'd be a foolish native of the poles to not know that - but this was the first time something in his cell had actually _changed_. Adrenaline was pumping into his body faster than a current, Ren propping himself up with his right forearm and sitting up further, chains rattling with the change in position. 

"Hah...."

Ren couldn't even speak due to his parched throat, instead making some sort of wheezing, breathy sound. Was this his 'neighbor', perhaps? Or maybe he had finally gone insane and the hand in the wall was just letting him know. The sound that left his mouth came as a surprise to him, and apparently just as much so to this new anomaly in his cell because it quickly retracted back into the darkness beyond the wall. What little light had been flittering about, dancing like a candle flame, puffed out of existence.  
Nothing happened for a while afterwards. This practically confirmed his suspicions of being crazier than a penguin.

The lump of darkness shifted and, as if a veil was suddenly lifted, more defined shapes started to be made clear. If the arm truly had belonged to another human being, then what was laid itself down in front of the hole was a face. Sharp eyes, the whites of which glinted faintly in the orange tint of the outside light, the dimensions of a nose and upper lip.. Another human being, but perhaps made out of desperation by Ren's mind. However, the universe seemed to have a thing for proving him wrong, and the face shifted, a new sound entering the air with startling sharpness.

"Hey," it called, just loud enough that the teen should be able to hear. It wasn't too loud, though, that it might attract the attention of a patroling guard, yet it didn't seem real.

Ren actually wasn't insane. Okay, well, the voice he heard - much clearer than his own heavily muddled thoughts - could've just come from his head. Or worse, it was some kind of test that the guards wanted to mock him with. Which was still just as unlikely, however his paranoia had a way of orchestrating his suspicions. Nonetheless, the hand had a voice, and it was greeting him. It would've been rude to not return the favor, right? Judging by the slight caution that hung in the air, Ren was able to safely assume that this very voice belonged to another prisoner. He actually wanted to wave despite the fact that the other, as far as he knew, couldn't really see him - plus it'd be a waste of precious energy.

The boy settled for a few moments of haggard breathing and dry throat-scraping before he could manage a single word of clarity: "H-hey.." Ren rasped. He was quite pleased to find that he was still capable of speech in the first place, his entire soul feeling as if it was lifting like a bird.

A wave of hesitation came before the voice would respond again. Perhaps this new friend of his was _also_ worried about the prospect of getting in trouble. When considering it, though, it was more likely that they were surprised by his weakness. After all, their own voice had been strong and clear. Eventually they spoke again, and what a talkative person they were; it was the most another person had communicated with him in over two years that _didn't_ involve mockery or insulting. "You alright in there?" the voice - male - asked, probably knowing full well that the answer was no and going on without a response. "Name's Toru," he continued, "So, what are you, uh, in here for?"

The early excitement and adrenaline that followed was starting to fade, which made focusing nearly impossible. However, the teen was able to catch the few lifts of a new tone and form something out of it. Quietly, softly, and to himself, Ren repeated the name; Toru. And this Toru character asked what was his reason for imprisonment. The way he _shouldn't_ answer was painstakingly obvious.

_'They think I'm the Avatar and therefore don't want me running around causing potential disruptions to their mighty cause,'_ Ren bitterly thought to himself. Even now - if his earlier attitude and thoughts didn't already solidify this in his head already - the whole concept that he was under extensive lockdown because they _believed_ him to be some overpowered master of the elements... Well, it was still a big joke.

Despite that, outright saying anything about the fabled "Avatar" might end up costing him. Whether the Avatar was him or someone else, or even alive for that matter, it felt like a swear word on his tongue that his mother would scold him for saying. So, he played it off, rolling his shoulders and rattling his chains as he stared blankly at the hole in his cell. "Ren.." the teen introduced, closely following the name with a dry cough. "They...think I'm dangerous..."  
It wasn't a total lie, was it?  
"Little ol' me.." Ren thought his own bitterness to the situation was funny, making an effort to laugh but only wheezing instead. He wiped his forehead against the arm of his sleeve before going on to return the favor: "What 'bout you.." 

Again, there was this brief pause that just didn't seem to have a reason for it. "I'm here 'cause I broke out of the last place they tried to hold me," Toru answered, allowing a note of pride to creep into his voice. "Well, that and piracy," he finished offhandedly.

This came as a rather pleasant surprise to Ren, stirring up a numb heat in his belly. A small smile pulled on his cracked lips, some hint of inner light brightened his eyes. "Sounds exciting.." Ren commented, shifting in place, "Guess they'll have to worry about you more than me." The more he talked, the easier it became; if you go long enough without speaking, you would probably lose your ability to do so all together. And here the teen was, exercising that very ability.

Exciting didn't even begin to explain his actual perception of this other prisoner. This person had escaped before - piracy was a standard crime, wasn't it? - and so what if he had been caught again? Back south, Zaken and the elderly members of the Southern Water Tribe had spoken of Fire Nation prisons; a powerful, intimidating confinement that you couldn't escape. Escape had been idea of the past, shattered away by his own growing weakness and crushed spirits, but a new thought entertained him. It was impossible, of course, but maybe someday he'll be able to escape and return home.

_Or fulfill your destiny._

Ignoring that-- Ren wanted to ask a bit more of the other's escape, while better judgment decided against it moments later, but the sound of heavy steps in the hall had him biting his tongue. Guards naturally walked past every so often, though they've never had to worry about him doing anything other than rotting away on the floor of his cell; if they overheard him talking, then... Well, he didn't know what they would do, but the teen wasn't excited to find out. 

On the other side of the wall, he heard the shuffling of feet. The darkness had lightened and the body that had been lying on the floor was gone again. Something creaked - wood, he guessed - so from that, Ren guessed that Toru had escaped to his bed. They _both_ had to worry about the guards, lest they wanted to get hurt or suffer their pent up rath. 

He had already gotten his water not too long ago; imagine his surprise when the footsteps came to a stop right outside his door and the bolts started to unlatch. A surge of anxiety pulsated through his weakened body, taking more out of him than the adrenaline of speaking to another person and the attempt at meditation COMBINED. Five guards came in then, all wearing smug expressions except for one, who was a little more aprehensive than the rest. _'A new one..?'_ Ren figured quietly, looking at them with a hazy stare.

 

As it would turn out, they had brought the new guard by to witness - to watch with front row seats - how they fed a high priority prisoner. This was, strangley enough, both a good thing and a bad thing. Ren couldn't remember when his last meal was, but he knew that this new one was way sooner than it had ever been before - a good thing. They mocked him like hell and degraded him down to a toy to play with - a bad thing. He wasn't allowed to move at all this time, and they kept him pinned as they forcefed him stale chunks of bread and gray, gelatinous-like slop. The new guard looked almost mortified by the scene before him, yet flinched away when Ren turned his disoriented stare onto him instead. Like he was scared, like he was petrified to be there.

The laughs of the others faded out of focus. He enjoyed each uncomfortable swallow of food and thanked everything that ever lived for this blessing. His arm had twitched subconsciously beneath the weight of a guard, wanting to reach out and grab the tiny bowl with his own hand just so he could feed himself faster, and this had them jolting back to attention. It was the most he had ever reacted in quite a while, so it was no surprise that they took it as a dangerous sign. But they hid their deeply rooted fear with insults and laughter.

Why were they afraid...? Ren often wondered this, and always there was some kind of reasoning that tried to justify it: They were conditioned to think that he was highly dangerous. They believed that the Avatar - again, he had his ever present doubts - was the enemy. They perhaps thought that, in this weakened and defeated state, he was capable of uprooting the entire prison. Whatever the case may have been, what came as the result was that his meal was cut short. The guards left with a scoff and a quick jab at the newbie, and silence soon fell back over the cell.

Eventually the footsteps faded back into the silence. With his stomach now _relatively_ full, the teen was tempted to fall asleep once again. The silence was normal, everthing was fine, and he already couldn't keep himself from slumping over onto his side. It was pitiful that any form of sustanance, whether it be water or food, was enough to knock him down for who knows how long. Ren was on the verge of slipping away when his new friend spoke again; this time, with a startling statement that had him panicking all the way to his core:

"I think I know who you are."

He shot upright - or as upright as he could before teetering back to his chest, hardly propped up by his forearms. Already, the teen was wondering what insults he would get for deserting or statements of mockery for being a weak disgrace, or whatever was awaiting him on the tongue of this fellow prisoner. It didn't matter whether or not Ren believed in the Avatar, because all humans clung to the idea, and needed someone to blame. If someone randomly claimed that this one person or other was the master of balance, then a desperate population would cling to it. Playing it cool was an idea that had already thrown itself away, and came back way too late into the panic.

Toru's voice came again, this time a little hesitant and unsure of itself, however was somehow determined to stand behind every single thing that left his mouth. Now that he thought about it, Ren didn't know when he had gotten back to the hole in the wall; he had probably witnessed the whole thing with the guards, and that's why he could even make a guess in the first place. The teen's opened mouth clenched shut and he squeezed his eyes closed tighter than the bolts on the door. Then came the claim. "You're a member of the royal family, probably the son of the exiled Prince What's-his-face. You're a talented firebender and they're keeping you locked up out of fear that you'll try and stage a coup."

A firebender? _Him?!_ He almost wanted to laugh. Ren was, after all, a waterbender; fire was his natural rival. It didn't matter if he was the Avatar or not, it didn't matter if, one day, he would have to learn how to bend the fierce element that was fire. Today, he was only a waterbender. That didn't stop him from digging deeper into it.  
Perhaps... Perhaps he should play along? The teen banked his nonexistent lifesavings on the fact that Toru would let his hesitation slide on account of his lack of strength, and thought about it for a good bit longer. 

Ren was no member of the royal family, he wasn't even a firebender, but if Zaken, his tribe, and the entirety of the Fire Nation prison was right, then it was his destiny to "stage a coup". Bring peace and balance, and all that jazz.. His mother always said not to lie, but that didn't mean he couldn't withhold information. So, the male lowered his head as if to nod, continuing to let his thoughts race when he responded. "You're not that far off," Ren admitted, "On a lot of things, actually.. I'm a pretty talented bender."  
Self-proclaimed, of course.  
"And a "coup" might be putting it simply."

Yes, he was giving himself all sorts of credit for having the reputation of being a savior of the world, but in a more subtle way. 

There was no hesitation this time, not like there had been all the other times. "Wow..." the other prisoner breathed, "I mean, just... Just wow. But you're not the son of that exiled prince?"

"No."

"But yet you'll still stage a revolt? They're actually that worried about it?"

Ren bit his lip and rolled carefully onto his side, so that he no longer faced the hole in the wall or Toru. "Can we... Can we talk about this later..?"

Hesitation. _Doubtful_ hesitation. Avoiding the question would only make the other suspicious. So before Toru could give any kind of answer, the teen continued on. "As you might imagine... I'm exhausted, and now that I've got, got food in me... I wanna sleep, you know..?" Beyond the wall there was more shuffling, then the slightly distant taps of footsteps.

The voice that came back to meet his insistance was a little far away; either because Toru had gotten up or because Ren actually was finding himself slipping in and out of consciousness. "Yeah, I get it," he answered. There was nothing else afterwards. Before Ren could say anything else - or promise to answer next time - it felt like the ground had completely slipped out from underneath him.

**~#~#~#~#~**

There was a new dream that came to him. It wasn't the usual nightmare-dream-illusions that usually filled his sleep, reminding him of a nonexistent time of peace and a blissful happiness. In fact, it was back to the unfamilair place with the unfamilair voice. This time, however, it was the same place his first mysterious dream had taken him to that night before the Fire Nation had come for him.

It had Ren standing on a stone balcony that looked out over a warm, orange-hued sky and tall mountains that jutted from fluffy clouds. Someone spoke to him, their unidentifiable figure standing at his side. Their words had been a jumble in his head the first time around, but this time it was startlingly clear. They sounded young - _way_ younger than himself. It was a boy with a voice that bounced with the glee of youth, yet was almost heavy with the weight of unexplained guilt. Their presence at his side was like a warm, autumn breeze, the kind that rivaled the crisp gusts from the South Pole. 

He couldn't look around, he couldn't see this person at his side or look anywhere but straight ahead at the dizzying peaks. There was faint laughter, much like the dreams of his tribe, however it felt like a distant memory that didn't even belong to him. So, the voice spoke, and all Ren could do was listen.

_"Do you miss home?"_

Ren answered simply, "Yeah.."

_"Would you go back home if you could?"_

"Yeah."

_"Yeah.. Me too.."_

No matter how much he tried, the teen from the Southern Water Tribe couldn't look look at the boy next to him. Even without needing to, the sadness in his voice was so terribly clear, cutting through like a shard of broken glass. They didn't need to lock eyes in order for Ren to practically understand just what this kid was saying to him; the feeling of regret that passed through him spoke volumes more than their simple conversation.  
So, the kid presented to him another question: _"Will you go back, Renya?_

The words that left his mouth didn't quite feel like his own. They were far too certain of themselves than he was, they were so much more purposeful. "Probably not, huh..." Ren answered. His unbound arms lifted to cross over his chest, shielding himself from a chill that never came. 

It would be some time before the relation between the two would be made clear. However, one thing was for sure and that was just how much they wished they could avoid their destiny. One ran away from it, the other denied it. So the younger male said again, turning to face Ren and making his form more clear. _"What's going to happen now that the world has lost all hope? Are you going to stay where you are?"_

"Probably...not.."

_"Probably not.."_

Ren turned his head and offered a meek smile. He still couldn't see the person at his side, but he knew they were there. _Everyone_ was, even if he didn't know it quite yet. There was still a lot that had to be done, so he had to think this through. The dream then shifted from this warm balcony overlooking an endless sky to a cold, pristine winterscape, where the teenagers and children of the Southern Water Tribe rushed down hills of snow on the backs of penguins. It was the nicest dream Ren had had in a while, and it was one he was willing to accept for once.

**~#~#~#~#~**

When he woke up again, there was a weird strength that nestled into his very bones. He was stiff all over yet somehow not uncomfortable. His dream had been englightening to say the least... Ren still doubted, despite what he had seen, that he was destined to save the world. That dream had been constructed of his own disillusion and that he actually would stand up to revolt against everything. He was complacent at best, unwilling to move since it would all be in vain. However, the desire to escape that had long since muddled by said complacence was now something that didn't plan to leave the mind. It would remain there, and be the reason why he called out with a gruff voice into the cell over and over again: "Toru..? You there? Toru?"

**~#~**

A cell door slammed shut a few hours later, the sound far too clear and loud to be from some distant cell. Ren had been sitting almost patiently the entire time, now turning towards the hole in the wall and waiting. His ears had picked up on the armored, heavy footsteps of guards, but as they got softer now he just heard the creak of a wooden frame and the heavy, indifferent sigh of another person. Deciding that the coast was clear, Ren gave the shackles on his wrists and the belt around his waist a quick shake. The sound bounced off the walls of the cell and must've reverberated into the neighboring cell: Toru's breath caught.

"Toru," the brunet called, his voice more warmed up than the last time and coming out much more easily.

Again, there was a moment of hesitation. It was starting to become a trend that, as far as Ren knew, didn't have an actual reason to exist. Perhaps it was just a habit in the other's speech, or maybe just a nervous twitch. Soon the bed that existed in the opposing cell creaked again and steps shuffled across the floor. Toru gave a small grunt as he came down to the hole in the wall. He was pressed up against it like last time, only briefly peering into Ren's own cell before moving nearby to it. Eventually, he said, "Yeah? How you doing this time?"

"I'm fine," he responded, this time believing it more than just saying it to dismiss him, "I wanted to continue. You know, our conversation?"

"Uh huh?"  
He really did sound like he wasn't very interested.

Ren brushed it off, leaning back against the wall and letting his breathing slow again. This time, he was focused on his own thoughts and the sounds around him, formulating some kind of explanation to justify just why the Fire Nation was so scared of him. If he was truly a firebender capable of staging a coup, then there had to be a reason why, right? So he pieced it together. "They don't want any resistance, right?" he asked, quick to continue without waiting for a response, "I don't like what the Fire Nation has become, and anyone willing to resist is dangerous. I've got some sort of influence--"

A shift, possibly Toru readjusting himself against the wall.

"--that they think will be enough to stage a revolt against them. Anyone can do it, right?"

Silence fell once again and, almost immediately, Ren decided that he didn't even believe himself. There was no coherency, there was no point to it. What influene? What revolt? You didn't _just_ revolt against the entire Fire Nation unless you had a legitimate reason or a death wish. He had all this time to come up with something believable and, like an idiot, went with the most shady explanation ever. He had to do something, anything to change the focus of the conversation and spin it back around so that Toru didn't think anything else of it.  
Funny enough, Toru still hadn't said anything else.

Betting that the other wasn't looking through the hole, he rattled his chains by moving his legs and arms together. It was something to break the flow of thought, a physical division in the conversation. "You've escaped before, right?" Ren asked.

It took a while before he got an answer, but the hesitation that came with it was out of curiosity rather than just suspicion. "I did.." Toru answered, "I mean, I had the help of a few people back from my pirating days, but I escaped. Didn't last very long, but..."

"Do you think you could do it again?"

The male scoffed loudly, "You're kidding, right? I don't have friends like that anymore, and the warden knows I'm bad news already. He and I are _totally_ good friends. Listen, Ren, I think I know what you've got going on in that shriveled up brain of yours--"

Rude.

"--and you can count me out. I don't want to get in a world of hurt just for an attempt."

He made a valid point, but if that truly was the case then why had he seemed so excited the last time? Toru had acted like finding out Ren was a legitimate threat of some kind was the greatest news ever. 

Ren himself, however, understood his desire to stay out of trouble. It wasn't like they could even escape, it wasn't like they knew where to go, and it wasn't like it was just some random prisoner that wanted out. It was the Avatar that wanted out, and the Avatar wasn't entirely sure that was what he wanted either. There was something that compelled him, deep in his chest, to keep talking. "I'll do it."

"Huh?"

"I'll do the time, I'll take the blame, I'll do it all," he was insisting, though part of it was out of his own control. It was like he wasn't even in control of his own words. "Toru, you're not as heavily locked down as I am, right? I mean you just got _back_ from something."

The hesitance this time was far different; it was thoughtful, it was reluctant, like he didn't want to listen yet couldn't help himself. Toru shifted once more back in front of the hole in the wall and a rust colored eye stared straight through the teenager. "I..." he started, "I do chores and sometimes get free time with the other prisoners... Why?"

Ren swallowed thickly, bringing his head back down to match his questioning gaze. Really, he couldn't believe himself, or that he kept talking. It just goes to show the influence some random dream could have on you. "Help me devise a plan," the brunet insisted, his tone starting to feel heavy with the weight of desperation, "and I'll do most of the work."  
Silence came again. It didn't feel hopeless, though, not like all the other times.


	3. Chapter 3

This was stupid, idiotic at best, yet there was no turning back now. Ren figured he would’ve been fine living a life of imprisonment. While it wasn’t grand, at least there was no way he could call any more attention to himself than he already had. He was already living a lie - why not take it a step further?

The man on the other side of the wall was more able to mingle with the living world than he was. Unlike the teen, Toru wasn’t held as a chess piece in tight confinement. The fire nation native suspected Ren to be a firebender- a powerful one at that - so Ren, in turn, had to act the part. This was their chance to escape, though admittedly he wasn’t sure that’s what he wanted. In fact, he didn't know why he kept trying to do _anything_. All because of some dream...  
If they failed, he risked an even worse experience than he already had and Toru could face execution. If they succeeded, Ren was most likely going to lose an ally and be tasked with the redemption of the entire world.

A lose-lose situation.

Despite his own personal interests, there was a deeper part of the teen that did want to save the day. After all, this was no way to live; not for him or even Toru.

**.**

Come midday two days later, when most inmates were free to roam, the block in the wall was pushed loosely back into place, and Toru was let out into the hall for chores, Ren almost died. He coughed violently, curled up into a ball and made the most disgusting retching sound that couldn’t have been possible for one as feeble as himself. His body shook with the effort but at least it was believable. Doubts festered in the back of his mind as he heard the guards gather outside his door. Was this really what he wanted? Would they even fall for it? Why was he even bothering? What would Toru gain from this? Again and again, these thoughts bombarded him like the unforgiving ocean tides.

His door unlatched and swung inward, fire nation militants standing with masked eyes. For drama, he could’ve reached for them and asked them to save him, but that wasn’t believable. There was no one in that prison that would want to continue living. So, as he gasped for a desperate breath and got far too into the act, Ren rolled onto his side. He didn’t want to be saved, he didn’t want them to save him. 

Really, he should’ve been an actor.

They undid the chains that kept him to the wall and sloppily yanked him up by the arms and knees. The position made breathing more difficult, plus it twisted a joint in his hip that didn’t need more prodding, but Ren kept it going. He kept it going all the way until tears were streaming down his face and the coughs that tore through his chest brought up blood. As he was brought through the hall, there was a brief moment of universal hesitation; his sickly form was rushed past the inmate-filled main floor. 

Clatter ceased, dull eyes turned, and there was a clarifying snap of existence. If nothing else, he had been seen by the others. What good would that do, knowing that there was a dying inmate in their midsts? That’s why Toru was there; the instigator, the provoker, the indifferent voice of appealing ideas.

**.**  
.  
. 

As the coughing, spasming body was taken away from sight, the main hall erupted in chatter yet again. Very little of it was focused on the inmate but all it took was two little voices. Toru’s reddish eyes shifted slyly around the gathered bodies, standing taller than most at an even 6'. He took note of the guards and where they stood, making sure not to cause their attention to latch to him of all people. Then, he listened.

There was indeed someone else amongst the captives that was, at the very least, curious about what had just happened. “Who the hell was that…”

It was simple, a question that didn’t necessarily require an answer he couldn’t really give in the first place. They were interested - this interest was something that he had to take advantage of - yet they didn’t seem too bothered by it. That was going to change. The raven came to their side and spoke low, eyes focused distantly as he played it out step by step. “Who cares,” he answered suddenly, causing his listener to jump from shock, “How come he gets taken care of when he’s sick while we suffer?”  
By playing to their own selfish desires, Toru had their attention.

“Wait… What do you mean?” they asked with a growl, the spike in their tone luring in the attention of others.

“I’m just saying,” he countered smoothly, “that Hico has been wheezing with pneumonia for over a week now, and all they ever tell him is to keep it down. What makes that guy so special?”

Someone else chimed in, this time from deeper within the gathering crowd. “What if they’re gonna execute him ‘cuz he is highly contagious?”

Toru whirled around proudly with an almost immediate response. “Then why carry him themselves? Why not leave him to rot in his cell, right?”

For better or for worse, he knew how to talk his way through a bomb. His father had been an admiral in the Fire Nation's navy, he had witnessed first hand just what that smooth talking could do. Smooth talking was what kept him out of most breeds of trouble, and what now prodded at hot coals. Ren must've known, one way or another, that these people would listen, that there was still even a fire to burn. The inmates in tattered maroon cloth were getting frustrated. Though they may have been criminals of the nation or prisoners of war, they were still completely human. Despite most personal desires, this level of inequality was annoying. 

A big man that was twice the size of Toru lumbered into view, chest heaving and nostrils flaring. He was angry. Toru hoped that it wasn’t because of him; the last thing he even wanted was to get caught in a fight. Though he lumbered and loomed, a clarity was nestled in his black beady eyes. “What’re you trying to start, nudie--” A nickname well-fitted for fresh meat and neater complexions. “--a revolt that’ll get us all in trouble?” His voice was thick, like it was caught in the fatty weight of his own neck.

Toru nodded slowly in understanding, arms folding over the front of his chest. “That would be bad, huh..” the raven breathed to himself, “I just don’t get what the deal is. Is he some high-security prisoner that they want alive?”

It was intended as a joke. No one wanted the inmates trapped in these iron walls to live any longer than a day. However, though he remained composed and uninterested, there was a part of him that was hoping for an answer. He knew nothing about the teen he was getting a whole prison rallied towards - nothing more than a name and the fact that he was “a powerful bender” - yet hoped someone knew something else. These thick-skulled men had never seen him before, so it was basically a lost cause.

That is, until a meek voice started to speak up.

It was a small, middle aged man with platinum blonde hair and sullen gray eyes. He didn’t look like a Fire Nation native; perhaps he came from the Earth Kingdom, or even the southern shores of the Fire Nation islands. Age hung on his features like an elder. For someone so fragile, he had been here for a while. He was sat up against one of the far walls, head hung over his tightly clasped fists. His shoulders shook with what Toru could only assume as fear, but for what reason? The guards didn’t seem interested in the interactions between the inmates, even though they were so closely knit by that point. There was no reason to even _be_ afraid. 

“I-I had heard the guards talking outside my cell…” said the man, “It feels like forever ago, but I remember it… I was close to death then, there was nothing more for me to live for.”

“What did they say?” rushed Big Man.

“They laughed, but they were also shaken up… Over a single inmate..”

Toru’s attention had been snatched away from his own curiosity and interests, pulled in by the mysterious tale spouted by a man that apparently should’ve rotted away. He listened, wondering if the inmate the guards had laughed at but also seemed wary of was the boy he had seen chained like a hellbeast to a wall. Impossible, right? That scrawny, dark skinned kid with the dead blue eyes? What kind of powerful firebender would they need to keep caged like that?

“They said they had… That they had--”

He missed it over the sudden stillness of the prison hall. Everything had come to an abrupt stop and eyes, dull not even a minute ago, were wide with a petrified flame. Conversation, energy, it all exploded in a loud clamor. Toru tried to follow it with his ears but there was so much going on; the guards started to get involved. As the alarm went off calling for an orderly lockdown of all inmates - consequence for the outburst - the raven was ushered away with the crowd, catching only the bits and pieces he could before he was taken from the main lot.

_“The Avatar is a prisoner here?!”_

He couldn’t believe it. From the hall to his own dusty cell, Toru was in a state of shock. It was no surprise that the blonde man hadn’t died that day; hearing about the Avatar’s existence in this futureless world, hope had been reborn. Albeit, only temporarily. There was one thing he couldn’t accept nor could he understand. If the Avatar truly was there, where was he? Who was he? It couldn’t have possibly… The fragile teen called Ren, though bound worse than the rest of them, couldn’t have been the Avatar.

**~#~**

It plagued him all day and all night. Ren never returned to his cell either, so not only was Toru left in the dark but now he was starting to worry. During the days that followed, whenever he was granted a level of freedom to mop the halls or wander with others, all anyone ever whispered about was the Avatar. It had been so long since anything was heard about the master of elements that he was like an enigma. There was no Avatar to save the day anymore, was there? What had happened? What nation was he from? How old was he?

For better or for worse, the likelihood of Ren being the Avatar seemed shifty. What element was the Avatar born with this time? Toru didn’t know what kind of bender the teen was - he had preemptively assumed fire - but you could fire bend with your mouth. If he was so powerful, why not cover his face too? 

The Air Nomads had been wiped out before his time, so maybe he was like some kind of long lost airbender. What followed air anyways… The elements never interested the raven before now. He was a firebender, the son of a navy commander; knowing about the supposed cycle of reincarnation birthed within the elements was nowhere near as important as knowing how to identify the parts of a ship. All he knew was that the Fire Nation was the one true nation, and that victory was close. The master of balance would ruin everything.

But, at the same time, the Avatar was… He was a sign of hope. Look at that blond, fragile man as a prime example. He had been ready to die until he heard of the slightest chance that the Avatar was there. No doubt would they have locked him up severely and kept him weak, but it was the simple fact that he was alive. Toru didn’t - or, rather, couldn’t - feel the same attraction to the idea of hope. For him, it didn’t matter that the Avatar was alive. He was bored of it all anyways.

At least, that’s what he thought. 

Ren still didn’t come back after a week.

**~#~#~**

The inmates were beginning to forget about the sick prisoner. No one knew anything, no one had seen anything, and there was nothing else to base their gossip on. Toru had been a good boy as of late and was granted almost equal freedom to that of his non-attempted escapee companions. He scrubbed against the floor of the mess hall with a moldy mop, bored, slow, and indifferent. People were talking but it didn’t concern him in the slightest. To his own observation, it was almost amazing how much he didn’t care compared to usual. 

Though, he saw the blond man again, sitting by himself at the table close by. He shoveled slop into his mouth feverishly like he was starved, however his eyes never stayed still. One second he was looking at his utensil, another he was looking at a guard, another he was watching the movement of a different hand. He was on edge, anxious, hiding something. Toru’s pushes of his mop slowed considerably as he watched with slight curiosity. It took him a moment to realize that he was drifting closer.

Just then, the big man from before hobbled over and sat down directly across from the other. Naturally the smaller man jumped but it didn’t take long before his gaze calmed. This was an organized meeting. Toru turned his back to them, continued to mop and let himself drift closer.

"Anythin’ else?” grumbled Big with a hushed tone.

“N-nothing…” was the timid response.

It seemed like the conversation was going nowhere. Deciding that it was just a waste of effort, Toru began to direct himself elsewhere when Big spoke again. His tone was much more gentle, much more distant, much more defeated than anything the raven could’ve expected. “I wanna believe,” he said with a sigh, “Didja really hear it? ‘Bout the Avatar?”  
Toru’s head turned quickly and the blond almost smiled. 

“I really did,” the man promised, “He’s here somewhere.. You know? I can almost feel it.”

“That’s a nice thing to feel, buddy..”

He didn’t care. It was true, he really didn’t. As a matter of fact, Toru cared so little that he mopped his way over and kept his head down once he was beside their table. Their eyes - one panicked and one threatening - latched onto him like leeches but he avoided their stare. “I know a kid,” he found himself saying, “who was chained like a monster and kept incredibly weak. The guards mocked him, they didn’t visit often, and wouldn’t let him feed himself. They acted like he was dangerous, too… He wasn’t ever allowed to leave his cell or do anything.”

When the raven lifted his head, the expressions he saw were lighter than air and _alive._ A smile twitched into place on his own face. “Think that’s your guy?”

**~#~#~**

Plan B. Big - who liked his name to be kept as such - and San - the blond man - wanted to find their hope for real this time. Toru would be gaining something as well, and that was the answers he wanted about Ren. One of his questions was now whether or not the kid was still alive.

Both Big and San had been giving him portions of their food over the course of three days in case this “stunt” resulted in harsh confinement. Really, he didn’t need it, but it was appreciated nonetheless. And the stunt? Come free time when the larger group was allowed to do chores, a nod from San had Toru, anxious as he was, climbing a rail and shrieking at the top of his lungs. Heads turned towards him and the guards seemed...a little disturbed. Now that he had their attention, he raised his arms over his head. “The time has come!” he called, “Follow me, the Avatar, into battle and let us free ourselves!”

No one believed him - for good reason - until Big in the crowd yelled; “If yer the Avatar then bend something!”

Toru did, slamming his fist forward into the air and igniting it with hot flames. Bending was strictly prohibited in the prison. Only someone with the balls and confidence to do it would. To the broken minds of inmates, only the Avatar that was supposedly imprisoned with them would do it. Men swore in gruff voices and began to rally, making a big hoopla that was starting to antagonize the guards. If they started a revolt, good. Completely by chance but still worth it. If they didn’t, then it wasn’t a big deal.

Inmates got fired up. They unleashed hell and started to put up a fight against the guards set out to subdue them. Toru remained where he was, spouting nonsense about peace and freedom that he himself couldn’t believe even if he wanted to. A guard yelled out, “Who the hell started this?!” Another pointed towards him. Before he knew it, Toru was slammed to the ground and trapped under the weight of armored soldiers. The breath was knocked out of him, his head spun from the slight smack against the steel rail on the way down, but part of him was satisfied. Was the physical ache worth it? Not really.

He was hoisted to his feet and dragged across the floor. Guards forced the inmates back into their cells with fire or cattle prods. The brief chaos passed. Toru realized a little too late that he would be getting a nice scolding from the warden - a good chat between old chums, of course - and started to doubt whether or not it was worth it at all. Was it worth trying to find out about the Avatar if it meant going through all this pointless effort? As the raven was thrown into a cramped room and strapped to a chair, he decided not.

“Look who’s trying to pull something yet again,” bitterly teased the warden as he sashayed into the room.  
The warden was _almost_ a family friend, as both he and Toru's father trained together when they were younger. Just goes to show how far the Fire Nation's system could take you; one to the dignified ranks of admiral and one to warden in some high security prison on the brim of the Fire Nation capitol. He had been "overjoyed" to hear that the poor excuse of a soldier that was Toru Hoen would be coming to his facility. It was the lost soul's second home behind bars, one that he wouldn't be able to escape from like the last time. Yeah, they were friendly.

In response, Toru rolled his eyes and put hard emphasis on his disinterest. The warden was used to this from him so it wasn’t like it mattered anyways. He stood proudly in front of him, arms crossed over his puffed out chest. “I know how you work,” he lectured, “I know you’ve got something going on inside that traitorous skull of yours."

Toru remained quiet, though wished he too could cross his arms.

“Trying to stage another escape? No, you wouldn’t be that stupid…” When the warden paused, he glanced at a soldier for some kind of lead. He had already been briefed on the situation during his walk over to the room, so it’s not like he needed anymore than that. With a small grunt, he leaned forward, rancid breath searing the inside of Toru’s nose. “What’s the use in pretending to be the Avatar, huh, Toru Hoen?”

Okay, now he had to respond. If he spoke carefully enough, he could potentially get some answers. Answers that Big and San would be satisfied in hearing even if there was nothing else. He wanted someone to trust him. So, he lifted his rusted gaze and held it evenly with the warden. “Who says I’m not the Avatar?”

“Impossible,” was the response, almost mocking in tone, “The Avatar is a waterbender, not some half-rate firebender.”

“But there’s a cycle right? Why couldn’t I be the reincarnation?”

"Are you _stupid_ or something?! We already have the Avatar here - though I’m guessing you already knew that, otherwise you wouldn’t have wasted your time.”

So the Avatar really was there… He was a waterbender…

Toru made a scoffing noise and rolled his eyes - and his head - to look off to the far wall. “Shouldn’t you just kill him or something?” he asked, “Or keep him away from the others?”

The warden was mere seconds from insulting him again, fingernails digging into the flesh of his bicep with the effort of restraining himself. “We can’t kill him, we do keep him from others--”

“But he’s the Avatar right?” the raven quickly interrupted with a side glance, “He’ll just bend his way out.”

“Do you really think we’re stupid enough to leave him unchained and at full strength? He’s weaker than death, his bound like a rabid beast; there’s nothing he can do, Hung.” 

He wanted to ask more. Though he didn’t truly care about anything regarding some master of the elements and didn’t care about the rest of anything, Toru thought he finally pieced it together. The warden, however, grew suspicious of the reverse-questioning and signalled for the guards to take over. He had broken the bending rule, so now he was confined to the chiller for punishment.

Dragged against the ground with his ankles and wrists bound, Toru let out a small exhalation. He would have plenty of time to think in the chiller, plenty of time to come to an educated guess that he could share.

**~#~#~**

He shuffled through the mess hall, limbs still incredibly stiff from the deep freeze he had received the day prior. For now he was exempt from floor-duty, but that was until a guard got tired of him taking his time with his mushy food. After getting a tray from the armored cook, he found an empty table close to the wall and sat down. Toru poked boredly at the gray, glistening wet mess on his tray, his mind distant.  
Truly, he was bored.

A coarse mop scraped against the floor behind him, another mop swabbed the floor beside him. He lifted the spoon to his lips and smiled against the wetness. “Alive,” he said in a hushed voice, not looking at either Big nor San as they cleaned diligently. “Waterbender, and probably that guy that I had seen.”

The mops hitched and stalled, but it was very brief. Toru wasn’t about to tell them that he had plotted with the supposed Avatar a week or so ago to get the inmates all riled up. In any case, he was still having his doubts - as well as his concerns - regarding Ren.

For the rest of the day, whenever he saw Big or San, Toru was almost pleased to see that they looked content with the state of everything.

**~#~#~#~**

It happened in the dead of night. He was lying, half awake and half asleep, on his stiff mattress, curled up into himself to keep a little bit warm. A steel door unbolted, swinging open with a sharp squeak that had the raven sitting upright immediately. It wasn’t his door - no, it was still tightly latched - and there was no light coming from beneath the crack to insinuate that it had been in his hall to begin with. His tired eyes skimmed his room until it found the loose brick in his wall. 

A small firelight danced beyond it, from within the room of his absent neighbor. Toru carefully laid back down, feigning sleep but at the same time keeping everything silent. Sure enough, chains were rattling and voices were speaking. Something heavy fell was dropped against the floor with a loud thud. A guard laughed with a low, bassy tone. “Bet you’re feeling better now, huh? Glad to be back home?”

Back home..? Toru waited as patiently as he could manage for the light to diminish and the guards to leave, curling his untrimmed nails into the sweat stenched pillow. It felt like an eternity before the bolts were put back into place and the door rattled the wall with the force it was shut with. Footsteps, dim lantern light, voices outside his own door and…

He threw the cover to the side and scrambled back to the hole in the wall. It had been quite some time since he last returned to the scratched in map or the window between cells. Toru didn’t want to take his time to move the stone, letting it scrape sharply against the floor before he lowered himself to his belly. There was no light in the opposing cell but that didn’t mean it was empty.

There was breathing. Heavy, unnatural, pained, but it was getting more even with each passing moment. If he looked hard enough, then he could also make out the heap on the ground. Had he not been worried about getting into more trouble, Toru would’ve created a small flame for himself to see with. Instead, he settled for the traditional method of getting someone’s attention.

“Psssssst!” he hissed harshly, “ _Psssst,_ Ren..!”

The teen was obviously still alive. There was a chance that he was unconscious but Toru wasn’t about to wait around. Dragging his fingers against the floor, he flicked up a small piece of stone and propelled it with his thumb. Ren didn’t even flinch.

More scraping, more aiming, and the raven tried again. And again. And again.

It could’ve waited. Toru could’ve waited till morning and been a little louder or obvious about his intentions. It would’ve saved him a lot of mental trouble but he was starting to care less and less about the consequences. Pinching the tips of his fingers together, he breathed deeply and calmly, centering himself. As if a match, he struck his fingers and ignited a brief but very bright flame that illuminated the cell just enough for him to get an idea of what was going on.

 

When it dissipated, he was left in stunned surprise, arm limp against the ground. He had lost the will to support himself and his jaw hung open. Only then did he wonder what exactly it was that he had expected to happen after his plan with Ren reached a certain point. Was the teen able to convince the soldiers that he was truly dying of illness? Would they have taken him seriously?

He was the Avatar, too, so it’s not like they could’ve let him off easy. If he had really been discovered, then it would explain the swelling and yellowish-green bruising Toru had briefly caught sight of when he lit up the cell. And if he had been discovered, how come no one came to him about it? Did Ren not sell him out or something? Even if he had, the only person that would’ve remotely believed the teen would’ve been the warden.

 

**.**

 

Come the morning of the next day, when Toru was able to clean near Big and San, he practically crushed their spirits yet lifted them at the same time. A standard inmate was never treated _that_ badly for trying to a pull a trick. They had been incredibly harsh for a reason - Ren truly must’ve been the Avatar - but they had practically beaten him senseless for a week. Toru didn’t care. He didn’t care at all.. Grinding his teeth like it was coal and gripping the handle of his bucket until his knuckles turned white, Toru _told_ himself that he didn’t care.

**. . .**


	4. Chapter 4

Ren had never left the South Pole before, and his first "trip" beyond the safety of his tribe had been in the prison hold of a naval warship. But his dreams... In his dreams, there were all these unfamiliar places. He no longer dreamt of peaceful times among the ice but instead about the places he had never been to. Some were filled with lush green plant life, some were rocky and hot, others sat on top of the tallest, bluest mountaintops. There was a massive wall encasing an equally massive city, yet it didn't have a name. Ren only stood on the top of that wall and looked out over rooftops or the expanse of plains beyond it.

The dreams became incredibly frequent after his return to the empty cell. Probably, he guessed, because of his constant need to rest and recover. As one might imagine, the guards didn't take kindly to stunt that _reeked_ of ulterior motives. His meals and drinks following the stunt were a blur, ones he never resisted or hardly reacted to. If time hadn't been hard to keep track of before then it was definitely impossible now; Ren couldn't even tell when he was awake anymore.

**.**

Within one of the dreams, a beautiful city that was nestled within the crater of an inactive volcano glimmered in the light of a setting sun. It was definitely red, the hillsides of the peak were a crisp green, and it just _felt_ beautiful and exotic. The other dreams had been in a rush, passing by too fast for him to actually understand where he was so this stillness was a nice change of pace. Ren stood with his back to the sun, its warmth spreading through his limbs like vines and warming his very core. The city was silent and unmoving, yet, had this not been a dream, for a moment he wondered if he would ever choose to live there.

Finally, the presence of a castle made itself known in the very center. It had completely skipped his gaze and remained out of focus, but now Ren saw it, and now he was disturbed. The black emblem of the Fire Nation against a perfectly red flag hung down the wall of the castle. A breeze passed by, lifting up the flag to wave it right back at him, and with it came the gut-retching realization of where he was. 

Ren swallowed the sickness in his throat, the invisible weight of chains pulling down on his body. "The... The capital..?"

Something changed. A new presence, towering and hot like summer coals, now stood beside him. Unlike on the balcony before, Ren could actually turn his head and look up at this new arrival. An old man with white hair and a long beard, in turn, smiled with a soft greeting. Red robes covered his body, a thick loop of hair on the top of his head ornamented by a golden flame. His arms were in front of his stomach and his hands were tucked into the opposite sleeves. The energy pulsing off of his body was powerful, crushing, yet fluid like waves. Their name bounced around his head but wouldn't form itself on his tongue. Not until the man spoke first.

"You used to not fear the capital, child," he said slowly, "It used to be a wonderful place that people admired. When you saw the flag of the Fire Nation, it wasn't distain or hatred you felt, or death you thought of first."

The elder Avatar, born in the Fire Nation so long ago, looked over what stood now as the capital of the war and the reigning power of the world. In his eyes was a sadness far deeper than anything Ren had yet to witness. On the balcony, the sadness had been in the voice of the person that always stood next to him; on the edge of the Fire Nation Capital, the sadness was in the eyes. Avatar Roku's voice held strong, steadied from years of life and growth. He had witnessed it all, from the peace to the beginning of the Fire Nation's descent into darkness.

There had been an Avatar after him, but... It was like they had instead been erased from all of history and never existed. Like the cycle skipped one of the nations before coming to Southern Water Tribe.

It took some time before the silence was broken again, this time by the younger teen. He lowered his gaze to the city and bit his lip, brow furrowing as unknown emotions welled up in his chest. He said, "There's no way they can go back.."

"Oh?"

"The entire _world_ is under their control," Ren explained, lifting up his hands in frustration, "there's nothing standing against them, and no one can fight them when they have so much power..!"

Roku leaned forward a bit, the faintest spark in his eye as he glanced at the brown haired boy. "And what of the Avatar?" he asked. His tone had a hint of knowing, like it was a trick question that was going to be answered incorrectly.

And incorrectly it was, because Ren turned his frustration towards the elder. "The _Avatar_ doesn't exist, okay? There isn't some all-powerful master that will restore peace when there isn't even any peace to restore. _I'm_ no Avatar, I'm just a prisoner of war. There's nothing I can do about it."

Only after snapping so rudely at the man - who was more than capable of trapping him in stone or encasing him in ice - did the teen wonder just what kind of scolding he would receive. He had meant what he said through and through, however there was the tiniest shred of hesitance that almost doubted whether or not he actually _believed_ it. Maybe there was something wrong in his statement, maybe there was a better way to word it. Maybe there was a trick to getting Roku to let it go.

There quite clearly wasn't. Roku offered another smile, straightening his stance and taking the time to look over the capital laid out before them. The nostalgia in his eyes was suffocating, like being in the presence of the nation he loved rendered him completely helpless. Eventually he turned away again, untucking his hands from the sleeves of his robes and gesturing out towards the habor. There were watchtowers, warships and personal vessels, and the long expanse of stone that lead to the still waters of the harbor itself. Keeping the harbor closed in was a dividing gate and wall, guarded and patrolled, only to open upon clearance. It was a clear day in this dreamscape, yet that couldn't justify just how far Ren was able to see; he didn't _want_ it to be justified.

Past that wall was open ocean, and, in turn, freedom. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, the burning desire to be _free_ burned hotly in Ren's chest. It was so clearly a lost cause. Hopeless, futile, a waste of effort. His stare continued to linger until the blue of the ocean blurred with the blue of the sky. That's when Avatar Roku spoke again, his extended arm lowering slowly and carefully as if cushioned by the air itself. "You're a waterbender," he reminded, so weirdly stating the obvious that it had Ren snapping his attention back to the Avatar again.

The look exchanged between them changed his entire state of mind; Roku was _reminding_ him, as if he had forgotten. 

Short and clear, he said, "Renya."

The water rose from the sea and crashed over the wall, blending into the water of the harbor. Moved by an unnamed force, the water from the harbor washed up over the docks and rolled over the jagged hills. It climbed higher and higher until it surrounded both Roku and Ren. Before the cool blue swallowed everything, the teen was gifted with one last thing:

_"You could be unstoppable in the ocean."_

And, eventually, Ren woke up again.

**~#~**

The cell remained darker than ever. It took time for eyes to adjust, but when they did, the details came with a wobbly clarity. The darkness shifted to a color deficient gray-blue tint, just barely capable of making out much of anything else. Ren was lying on his side, all of his weight pressing down against his right shoulder. It felt like the entire world was spinning even without him moving. Some time passed before it began to steady itself, and by then he had already assessed the damages he hardly remembered sustaining.

No burns this time - lucky. Just a lot of soreness and awkward swelling, which could've always been so much worse. The chains rattled as he moved, rolling over onto his chest in a way that squeezed all the breath out of him like a boa constrictor. Huffing once, twice, Ren pushed himself up with his elbows as best he could, now for the first time in over a year fighting against the chain that kept his arms from moving too far away from his waist. Once he was upright again, the teen allowed himself a moment to breathe. His right eye was having a hard time staying open due to a massive welt on his brow, the edges of the shackles rubbed sharply against his skin, and sitting up right put a lot of uncomfortable pressure against a massive bruise he could feel on his calves. His mind remained clear despite it all, so he was thankful.

Glancing over to the far wall, the loose brick was gone and the hole was wide open. Since it wasn't pushed somewhere on the floor of the cell, Ren assumed that it had, instead, been pulled further inside the cell of his neighbor. He had no idea how long it had been since they last spoke, or when he had gotten back. It was late in the night so Toru must've been fast asleep by then. With half-hearted hopes that he wasn't, Ren called out with a sharp clearness that startled even him.

"Toru.. You up?"

 

A sudden gasp of breath came from the other side. The old wooden frame shifted and he could hear the stiff pillow that fell to the floor. Feet scuffed across the floor in that familiar way that Toru always seemed to move around with. He laid himself against the floor and his voice mixed in the empty air. "Good to hear your voice, Ren," came the answer, ladled with a tone of relief.

It was comforting to hear at the very least, making Ren's heart beat warmly in his chest, however the tension didn't go unnoticed. There was something Toru wanted-- Nay, _needed_ to say. With a small exhalation of breath, he crossed his legs as much as he could and put his hands in his lap. "What's wrong?" he prodded a bit carefully, "Everything go okay?"

"Guess so," Toru answered. It was almost impossible _not_ to hear the way his eyebrow was arching or the way his lips pursed together. "Got some people into the whole thing, started a small riot--"

"What?!"

"Shh..!"

Ren bit his tongue, quick to scold himself for letting such an outburst go without his meaning to. Both of them waited for what felt like an hour, listening to the sounds of the prison halls. It had gotten so quiet in that moment that, when there were no footsteps or hushed chatter coming closer to their side, the faint squeak of a mouse could almost be heard. Once they were certain that neither of them had gotten in some degree of trouble, Toru continued on without waiting for him.

There was suspicion and question on the edge of each word. "As it would turn out, the Avatar is apparently a prisoner here."

He wasn't surprised about the turn this was taking. Judging from Toru's tone, it would do no good to deny it or fight it; he already knew. Of course Ren still had his doubts about, well, _everything,_ but after dreaming about a legitimate Avatar it was kind of hard to do anything else. All he could do was hope that, after he was exposed, he would still have some kind of ally.

So, the teenager let out a small breath and nodded, letting his eyes close. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. I even got to talk to the warden about him."

"Yeah?"

"Said he was always kept weak, away from other prisoners."

Not a question or method of encouraging the conversation, a blunt and straight forward: "Yeah."

Toru hesitated before he went on. There was something keeping him from spouting out his suspicions, from calling out the other right then and there. He took his time, as if he wasn't sure. Maybe he was having a hard time believing it; not just that Ren was the supposed Avatar, but that the Avatar even still existed. No one believed it anymore anyways. He eventually found his voice again, shifting in place beyond the wall and out of sight. "Apparently he's a waterbender."

"Yeah.."

"Are you... Are you a firebender, Ren?"

"No.. I'm not.."

 

The silence was deafening all on its own. Toru didn't respond, Ren didn't say anything else, and the entire prison was asleep. As the blue tinted darkness of the cell lifted and was burned away by the approaching dawn, Toru was still beside the hole in the wall, his frostbitten hand being the only thing visible in the open space. For the entire remain of the night, the young man had remained where he was. It was like he was still processing the information, putting the pieces together as if Ren's continued lack of denial to his questions or statements didn't entirely mean that he was, in fact, the Avatar. Just some waterbender that was under extreme confinement for fun.

A small bird chirped outside - the first sound he had heard that didn't have anything to do with prison or war. 

"There's a man," Toru finally said with a small sigh, "who had been close to death some time ago.. The guards were talking outside of his cell about an inmate they had locked up somewhere in the prison. They were scared of that inmate, yet laughed about him. The existance of that inmate could've been a lie, you know? But it gave that man hope, and he's still alive.

"There's a guy who's bigger than a blimp with the most threatening face this side of the hemisphere.." He had to stop himself then, letting out a short and breathy laugh before he could even continue. "Didn't think he believed in anything other than what he saw. I found him and the weaker inmate talking about hope, because they both still believed in it. They believed in that inmate that neither of them had ever seen before."

Ren didn't say anything. He was caught in a silence of his own surprise and interest, lured in by the story being told. While it was almost obvious who the inmate had been, it was hard to believe. A war had been going on for well over a century, potentially running for 120 years. It reached a result of world domination and had never been truly fought against by anyone that could turn the tides. The war was _over_. No one had been saved and peace was but a memory. How could anyone believe in something as fictitious as the Avatar when he never saved them or stopped the war from ravaging the entire world?

Sure enough, Toru took great, unintentional care to rub it in his face just how important the Avatar was. "They believe in the Avatar," he said, "They believe in _you_ , kid. I've never seen such genuine hope before I told them that you were alive, that you existed and that I knew who you were. Nothing can ever compare to it again."

He moved from his place beside the gap in the wall to lying on the floor in front of it. A reddish eye peered through first, then an arm reached through, resting with its palm against the dusted stone. "I don't... I don't actually care about the war or fighting it," Toru claimed, his fingertips curling slightly, "What's done is done, right? I don't...care.."  
The weird hiccups of hesitance reminded Ren of his own lack of faith in the words that would leave his mouth. At least, it seemed, the person that was on the other side of the wall was more capable of combating it than the teenager was.

"But, those men still believe that it can all change. Doesn't matter if there's the crazy ass Firelord or the Phoenix King still reigning over everything, because, _somehow_ they think a single person can do it. If you... Ren, if you got out, would you go back home? Where you got yanked from?"

Funny how a dream had prepared him for this very moment. Ren slowly opened his eyes, gazing past the lulled, half-lidded loom of his own eyelashes and the swollen red welt that hung over his eye. Unlike the dream, however, he was a little more certain about himself. "No," he answered, feeling his lips twitch into a more sorrowful smile. "I'll probably...never go back.."

"Are you going to stay here..? Can you even break out?" It sounded hopeful, yet Toru was forcing the impression that he didn't really want to know. The slowness of his voice was the evidence for it but there was no denying the lift in his tone. He wanted to know, maybe not just for himself but for those two inmates he had talked about.

They lost their chance to talk anymore about the subject. A soldier came to Toru's cell, yanking the door open just as the stone went sliding haphazardly back into place. Ren could hear the short bitterness in the soldier's voice, then the slight drone of his companion's disinterest. No doubt would he be going to do standard chores or maybe eat some form of breakfast. If he saw those two other inmates there, would he tell them about their conversation? All the teen could even do was wait; he no longer felt tired or the need to take a nap, so he waited with his back against the wall.

**~#~#~**

When Toru came back, everything happened in a sort of blur. The stone was pulled away again, like usual, but a soggy wrap of burgundy fabric came rolling across the floor, picking up dust as it came. A rust eye peered through the hole, soon followed by that familiar hand that nudged the package closer to Ren. Toru gave an amused chuckle, rolling onto his back. With him lying down like that, the teen could actually see some of the black hair that the other had. However, what took higher priority was the weirdly lumped, soggy roll of fabric. The cover itself looked like it had been torn off of someone's shirt, as its color matched that of their standard prison garb.

He couldn't really reach it. It took some weird scrunching against the floor to even get close enough to it without having the chains strain. The contents seemed odorless at first, but then the wetness was what told him almost exactly what it was; slop. His stomach growled like the prospect of slop was the same as a five course meal. It hadn't been that long since he last ate, however Ren was still a growing boy. What didn't make sense was _why_ he was being rolled this thing that could get them both in trouble.

Before he could even ask, Toru answered. "You've got a few guys who want to help," he explained, the smile so blatantly obvious in his voice, "Probably can't break out, at least not on your own and _definitely_ not as weak as you are. This is their way of helping in any way that they can; they get to eat every day, you don't."

No doubt would Ren's mother scold him for the colorful string of curse words, grateful and overwhelmed as they were, that flew through this young man's head. It was baffling that someone was willing to give up some of their meal for him, for the lost cause of an Avatar that didn't even believe in it himself. Never mind the fact that a previous Avatar came to him in a dream - it meant nothing! And yet... Somehow, people had faith in a person they never met that could've very well been a lie. The Fire Nation could just be saving face by saying they had the Avatar in prison.

The lump of slop was a few inches away from him. Toru came back onto his stomach, reaching with his hand to hopefully knock it closer but wasn't having much luck. It sat there for a while before one of them came to a solution. Since it was closest to Ren, the boy had to bring his legs around and try to drag it over with _any_ available part of his body. As he reached, straining and pulling muscles that hadn't been used in so long, he found his voice again.

"Would you-" He grunted, feeling the slightly injured hip creak under the effort. "-help me..?"

"You might kick me, I'm not going to--"

"Not that..!" Ren skimmed against the side of the bundled slop, grimacing at the weird, lukewarm wetness that streaked against the side of his exposed ankle. It had been a disgusting sensation, one he was reluctant to repeat. "Help.. Help me escape.."

Silence. He had to argue his point. After all, it was kind of obvious at this point that the raven's answer would be some variant of "I don't care" or other wise. 

"There's gotta...gotta be something you can do to help me," he insisted, rolling the bundle just the slightest bit closer with the back of his calf. "I don't care what.. We're- We're somewhere in the capital, right? I can probably get us as far out as the sea but I don't-" It rolled the other direction. "-I don't know the area, I don't know what's the best way to get out there, raft or boat or canoe or _what_.."

Eventually, Ren had the bundle at his side. He grabbed onto it with his shackled hands, the fluids dripping past his fingers. It was covered in dust and grime, but it was food that someone had given up _willingly_ for him. No need to be picky. He shifted into a more upright position, hunching over his lap to try and feed himself. Before he took that first bite that would begin his climb back to proper health, Ren let out a small breath. "You'll be free too," the teen added, "and if you wanted, maybe I could even help you get back to wherever _you_ got yanked from.."

**~#~**

There was nothing else said between them, all the way until Toru was taken back again to do work. When he came back, this time towards the end of the day, a larger roll of food came through the hole. It stopped not too far away, unlike the first one, and was much easier to get a hold of. Ren began to unravel it with a hushed prayer of thanks when Toru spoke again. "I don't care where I go, I don't care what it is I'll do next," he insisted. For a moment, it sounded like he wanted no part of Ren's escape - but only for a moment. 

"I'll help you.. Figure you might need a firebender anyways."


	5. Chapter 5

It was easier than ever before to count the days. Toru left twice, to three times each day - this was how Ren kept track. He always came back with more food and, one day, even managed to bring back an apple. Hiding the core had been the most difficult part, until the two of them agreed that it was _fully_ edible and worth the discomfort of bulbous seeds crunching between teeth. When guards came in to feed the teen, it was quite fortunate that Ren wasn't a terrible actor. He essentially let them roll him around as they pleased, always limp in their holds and acting out of desperation. At one point, he didn't have an appetite for one of his scheduled meals. It would've raised immense suspicion had he not tried to reach for it himself and made it seem like he was starting to have better perception of what was going on.

They didn't come back for a long time afterwards, but as it stood now it wasn't like that mattered. His throat remained parched, scratchy and raw, the food doing little to keep him hydrated. It was definitely more than he usually had, so it was better than nothing. Soon, his limbs began to fill out a little more and his skin wasn't suctioned to the bones of his chest. 

Big and San, the names of the inmates that were sympathetic to the cause, always wanted some feedback on how he was doing or what he _needed_ from them. The plan to escape was taking far too long to piece together. After learning eight days in to this "healing" that they were imprisoned in the Capital City Prison - briefly he wondered just what the others had done to warrant such an extreme fate - Ren could only think to storm through like a polar bear dog. Maybe he could overpower the entire staff of guards with his magical superiority and fly away on a cloud once he was freed.

Yes, he was still _highly_ pessimistic about everything.

Whatever the case may be, there was still the matter of the steel that kept him so tightly bound. Now that there was more meat accumulating on his wrists and abdomen, the shackles held much more tightly, the occasional shift in movement had them digging into his skin. Ren, eventually, took the inmates up on their offer: "Can you start a riot that'll get the entire prison involved?"

**.**

Like the last plan, Toru was the instigator. He had the smooth enough tongue to get into the heads of the inmates, he had the way with words that would get people riled up. It was decided over the course of an additional _three weeks_ between this party of four to make Ren's - the Avatar's - existence known. To be completely honest, the teen didn't like it. He didn't want so many more people potentially believing in something that he could never hope to be. Not because he wasn't up to the task - he really wasn't - but because all of those people, whose spirits had been crushed time and time again, would have their hopes stomped out like a light. Big and San believed in him, however they were bound to be let down just the same.

It soon came time for the riot. The pattern went with every other day being the day that Toru could be out three times; specifically, once closer to the evening. That would then generally mean that the guards would take their time to move the next morning. After all, the last round of inmates already prepared everything for the next day. They were in the capital of the _entire_ Fire Nation, so the less people wandering the better. Ren didn't know how the Fire Nation natives lived - if they were the type to party at night and sleep in or wake up early and go to bed late - so this was what they had to hope for. After they decided on the morning of the next day to stage their up rise, he realized a little too late that night would've been better; when the moon was out and he was stronger. 

There was no backing down now. He woke up to the sound of his neighbor whistling a quick, jaunty tune and had to prepare himself - mentally - for what would come next. With a deep breath, Ren lowered his head. "Good luck."

**.**  
.  
. 

The light of early morning filtered through the highest windows. Inmates covered the center floor, sweeping up tiredly and mumbling amongst themselves. As Toru picked up his designated broom, his eyes began to wander. His timing was perfect, too, because San was shuffling on the upper floor from his cell and Big was just then being released from his the one floor up from San. 

Every single guard on the ascending floors above - three to each, but fewer near the highest levels he couldn't see - acted without regard for the state of the inmates. Most wandered a little aimlessly, tired eyes staring ahead. The ones that worked the floor didn't have masks, only helmets. There was a woman on the main floor and two men; up above, only men. Their self-made patrol routes always brought them close together so they made conversation easily. Even as the three most unlikely inmates came together near the wall for the umpteenth time that month, they didn't even bat an eyelash.

He turned his head to the floor, scraping the straw bristles of his old broom against the floor. San was lucky to be small and the most unnoticeable type of person, so he stayed low and pressed to the wall, trembling in what could've been fear or adrenaline. Big, meanwhile, had a very grim expression. Nothing was said between them, nothing was said _beyond_ them. Toru felt like he should've started the riot by now; soon more guards would come, and higher ranking officers would tell off the lollygagging others. Was he getting cold feet? Did he fear failure? 

It wasn't like this plan had been fully his idea, and it wasn't like he was going to suffer the worst of the backlash, so why was he hesitating? For better or for worse, it seemed like it wasn't just him either. Now Big was mumbling incoherent phrases to himself, voicing his doubts yet not strung well-enough together that they might be understood. Who knew what would happen to the big guy, or the small guy. Deep down, Toru didn't want to leave them, but they could've very easily been excess weight.

As the warden - our good pal the warden - passed overhead, a silent conversation was had. His eyes, scornful and self-confident, fought with the stare of the young man, whose gaze almost screamed his confliction. This made the warden chuckle in that way of triumph and nod his head. From that alone, he deemed that Toru was no longer a concern. Surprisingly this ended up being the biggest motivator; not the prospect of peace, not the uprooting of a corrupt nation, not the efforts of bystanders. The Avatar didn't matter anymore, it was the fact that he _needed_ to wipe that smug expression off of the warden's face.

With new conviction, Toru directed himself out into the crowd of inmates. They new something was coming - you could practically feel it in the air, every breath held taught with a piano wire - yet they didn't know what. To be honest, the raven didn't know what he was going to say, or how he was going to say it in a way that would gain their support. He opted for the blunt, the casual mention. As he dragged his feet and the head of his broom past a small group of two, he muttered out loud, "The Avatar is actually here, you know.."

They looked at him, and their interest was quick to fall. After his last stunt, they didn't want to believe anything that came out of his mouth. That instantly made things harder but he persisted. Weaving in and out of groups, Toru kept mentioning again and again about the Avatar. His statements varied from "The Avatar's alive" to "I know where they're keeping the Avatar" to even "The Avatar is an idiot". Smooth talker he may have been, but his reputation was already shot, so it would take a lot more than words to start stirring their interest. Last time Toru did it, he had a kid coughing up his lungs onto his shirt. That's what led to Big and San.

This time, he had Big and San. He gave them a quick glance, rolling his shoulders dramatically and brushing away against this insufferable patch of dust. With the signal passed, it was Big that took over, his broad, thick form parting the inmates like a sea. Their heads lifted to follow him, to follow the path of this daunting man. He loomed over Toru and huffed through his nose, fists clenching at his sides. 

He said, "Stop spoutin' nonsense."

"What do you mean, nonsense?" Toru returned as he looked up from his work.

"The Avatar."

"That's not nonsense."

"You were the one that claimed to be 'im, of course it's nonsense."

Gossip, drama, and a potential fight. It could very easily result in the lock down of the entire facility or the rage of guards, but humans couldn't resist. The feeling that something was going to happen - that _this_ was that something - just so happened to be enough to get the surrounding inmates invested again. 

San took that as his cue and scurried away from the wall, arms up with his desperation. "It's not nonsense..!" he cried with his small voice. In the tension of the air, that small voice echoed like a giant. "It's true, it's... The Avatar is here..!"

"We know nothin' 'bout the Avatar, tiny!" Big barked in return, "There's no proof!"

Guards looked but didn't act. It was far too early for this to happen, and Big already seemed like the Alpha of the current group. If anything, his authority would bring everything back down to a low simmer. Just by assuming, the ball began to roll. Others got involved, turning the fit into an actual discussion, then into an argument. Toru stayed where he was, grip tight on his now stationary broom. The voices he heard were so starkly contradicting to each other; more than three quarters of the present population thought it was a load of crap, one quarter believed that it wasn't. That lesser group fought against it with all that they had, as if the rumor of the Avatar was enough for them to cling to. As if their brothers lost in combat or families harmed by the Fire Nation's forces could be mended by the existence of the Avatar.

It was nice to hope, even if you didn't believe.

Now they had something to work with. He shared a glance with Big and San, the three of them silently deciding just how they would do this. They needed encouragement, they needed a nudge. Toru had the voice to do it. Somehow, he would have to rally the ones that didn't believe and the ones that did, and lead a massive riot. One that would need to turn into a wild prison break if this was going to work. As the volume of the voices grew, so did his position on the main floor. He ascended the steps quickly, once again taking to the rail of the floor above.

The guards were now _incredibly_ suspicious of his motives, as this was about to be his second stunt within a two-month period. Reeling back his broom, with a sharp _CRACK_ he slammed the handle into the beam below his feet and splintered the thing in half. Pieces of wood flittered down to the main floor and heads turned. Those few heads then got the attention of the others, and now he had a whole floor's worth of people watching him. Even now, Toru could see the disinterest in their eyes, their annoyance with him taking the stage again.

His conviction to do this just to piss off the warden had changed again. It went back to his first goal, the escape of the supposed Avatar, which still housed so many of his doubts. That didn't stop him from speaking up. From speaking _out._ "I!" he shouted first, "I am from the Fire Nation, I was enlisted into the Navy-"

Someone booed him almost immediately, another called him a killer.

"I like my country!" Toru insisted, rising over them to speak more. "I like what we have and what we make! I didn't _know_ just what it meant to spread our influence and conquer!" He pointed the broken broom head down at the masses. In doing so, he practically singled out a man that looked at him with such festering hatred. The inmates were in a state of silence, angry and wanting nothing more than to tear him apart with their teeth for being an arrogant soldier; his words meant less than dirt to them. However, their silence meant he no longer had to shout, and the guards only wanted to see where this went. They had no idea that he was trying to get an entire part of the prison's population to rally behind someone else.

For a moment, the firebender let his emotions bleed through, contorting his expression into one of apology. He took a breath before continuing on, speaking evenly and clearly. "In the cell next to mine, there is a kid. He could hardly talk, he could hardly move, and he was chained in every possible way. You've never seen him because he never comes out. That inmate that the guards were carrying away? Coughing so violently even though he _should've_ been rotting in his cell like the rest of us? That very kid."

Silence.

"That inmate we all heard about? That one they mocked yet held some sort of fear towards? Same kid."

Murmers, soft questions. They were getting somewhere. Everyone remembered exactly what they had heard on that fateful day, because no one had expected it. It came from nowehere and suddenly meant something more than they had ever hoped for. Of course they knew.

"I staged an act," Toru confessed as confidence seeped back into his voice, "claiming that I was the Avatar because that kid never came back to his cell. I insisted to the warden that I was the Avatar, but he said it was _impossible_. Know why? Because the Avatar wasn't a firebender like me, he wasn't healthy like me or free like I was. He hardly had water and seldom had food - just like that kid."

Finally the guards were reacting, looking at each other with uncertainty. They didn't know whether or not to take down this bold speaker. If they did, there was a chance that the inmates would explode. As it stood now there wasn't a single person in burgundy that didn't appear to care. So, the guards had to pick their battles carefully, and weigh their options. The warden stood five floors up and looked down. Toru could feel his stare burning into him like the hottest of flames. It was daring him to continue, and promised only the worst of punishments. If one more word about the Avatar left his mouth, he was a dead man.

It was enough to make him hesitate. All of the eyes on him were expecting him to continue, to bring about a final point and not leave them making guesses. But Toru didn't want to get hurt. He didn't care about anything else within that very moment; physical pain was something he wanted no part of. If this ended and nothing changed, then it was a waste of effort he _knew_ he shouldn't have spent. It would never be worth it. 

But he saw San and Big like two brilliant lights within the dull crowd. Their colors were vibrant, their forms were tall. They were waiting for him to finish it. They wanted him to be the one to end it, to _make_ the change. While they didn't look at him like they did the wall when thinking about the Avatar, their eyes still held admiration and hope. Hope towards him, hope that he will be able to do it. 

He let the broom head slip from his hand, clattering against the floor with a sharp loudness. Toru could almost feel, somewhere deep in his chest, the shift of a fiery tide. The warden's stare was hot like magma, burning and unyielding, but the new fire that rose up to meet it was cool like the ocean. Really, the raven wasn't sure it was his or if it was his imagination, but it alleviated the pressure just enough to finish his speech. "I never believed in the Avatar," was declared with a voice so confident and precise, "Not until I saw the hope in the eyes of others when I mentioned that he - that the Avatar himself - was still alive. There's still hope somewhere, there's still peace _somewhere_!"

The words came from a place he didn't know even existed within himself. They were filled with the kind of hope that only came from the most hopeful of people - someone Toru was not. It was powerful all on its own, igniting the countless fires that now spread throughout the crowd. Up above, the warden issued a command for the guards on that floor to head down and get the others; it was time to aprehend this thorn.

Raising a clenched fist over his head, Toru began to shout. "The war may be over but it hasn't been won!"

 

Every single voice, male and female, old and young, all erupted at once. The warden shouted out orders in his rage, but it was quickly swallowed up by the greater clamor. Big stood in the very center with his arms over his head. He called them all to action like a great leader naturally could. They were to free as many as they could, fight with everything they had, and break through everything that stood in their path. Guards began to flood in from all sides, temporarily uprooting the optimism Toru was feeling. 

The prison was rounded, the guards new just about every path. In less than a couple of minutes, more would be coming as soon as the call went out for assistance. Toru hesitated as he dropped from the rail. He couldn't help but feel conflicted, wanting to help and free Ren, who couldn't free himself, yet also wanting to make it out on his own. This was a plan destined to fail and the raven hadn't even realized until now. A shrill shout of alarm from San snapped him from his thoughts. It also tuned him into the presence of a guard just behind him. 

Toru quickly ducked under an extended fist, a hot plume of firing shooting itself forward and landing part way into the swarm of rioting inmates. It quickly became obvious that these prisoners were either firebenders themselves or simply _not_. Most seemed to have combat training of some sort, but those skills were rusted against these experienced soldiers. Thankfully, Toru was still pretty fresh to the life of imprisonment, so his combat training from the navy and his firebending was still in working order. 

Down on the ground, he swung his heel into the legs of the guard that had been behind him, knocking the man out of his stance and disrupting the trail of fire. Poor guy hadn't been expecting it - in fact, he was probably underestimating every single person there - so it didn't take much to knock him into submission with a heavy knee digging itself into the shoulder while his arm was pulled out of line. There was a very unsettling crack but it served as a good enough shock. Toru jumped to his feet and began to only react to the world around him. 

His priority became Ren. The kid was the Avatar one way or another, so maybe there was some crazy power hidden inside of him. He said he could only bend water but maybe that's just what they needed, too. The faux optimism was great and all, and drove Toru to charge ahead. He knew the turns, he knew the halls, he knew which cell was his; Ren's was right next door. Coming up to the door he first took a couple steps back, putting himself against the far wall and taking a few deep breaths. The door was designed, after all, to withstand barrages of attacks just in case such an event such as a breakout occurred. Or something like that. He had been in the navy, not the prisons. 

In, out. In, out. Each breath came with care, exercised with practice just as it should. Firebending was fierce, it was a rush, but it was also fairly quick unless done otherwise. The burn ignited in the raven's chest with the last inhalation. His voice practically tore out of his throat in a gravely shout. Toru took two sturdy steps forward, brought up his leading right leg, and kicked forward. The fire surged ahead to blast against the door with immense, pent up heat. He didn't let it cool, however, and before the remaining flames could dissipate he followed it with the swing of his right arm. The act almost had him slamming his fist into the metal door - a broken hand was not something he was necessarily looking for. 

He struck again and again, as often as he could manage with as much heat as he could manage. The shouts of the main fight filled his ears, growing louder and louder. It was coming up to his hall - whether it was pushed back or just _reaching_ that far, it didn't matter. All it meant was that they were running out of time. Toru hopped back a few steps and rolled his wrist, tensing his left arm against his side with his legs braced shoulder-width apart. The metal of the door had turned red hot, almost malleable. He had to hit it with a continuous flame but it would be some time before he could actually get the door down.

This whole thing _screamed_ hopeless. Still, he tried it, doing a quick skip up to the door and striking his arm forward with fingers curled and his palm exposed. It felt like desperation to him, the way he tried so hard to somehow change the state of the door. He was pulling fire from his core, he was persisting so intently as if his life depended on it. If this failed, maybe they would kill him and maybe they wouldn't. He didn't want to go through that.

The heat became overwhelming even for him, forcing him to break off his streamline and back away, panting heavily as sweat streaked down his temples. It almost crushed his soul just how soft the door looked. If burns of the twentieth degree didn't seem so horribly painful, Toru might've considered slamming all of his weight into it. Heavy footsteps echoed loudly in his ears and only emphasized the panic that took root in his chest. He hunched over, fighting to catch his breath and think things through. 

Now was as good of a time as any to _run_. He could escape now and live a free life, maybe visit his little brother without letting his parents know he was there. There was so much that could be done, but only if the raven left now. Ren had probably watched the door turn hot, he probably knew that Toru was on the other side. Would it hurt him to stay there and wait, not knowing if Toru had gotten caught or if he had fled? It's not like it would change any aspect of the life that could be lived after his escape, yet Toru... He hesitated.

 

_Fssssshh..._

Steam hissed into the air, making it humidly damp as it gathered up overhead. Toru's breath caught in his throat and he straightened, staring at that unforgiving door as steam seeped past its threshold like a machine. The red darkened to the slate gray of steel, then took on an icy tint. It took one look after the rush of cool air stopped to know that the door was safe to touch - and extremely brittle. 

He reeled back a fist and slammed right into the center bolt, the fire that was quickly expelled from his knuckles adding just the right amount of force needed to break through. In the cell that was so barren in comparison to his own, Toru let his jaw slacken slightly. His eyes followed the thin trail of frost that led from the now broken down door all the way to the wall. The chains that were strung over another body looked a little frosted over themselves, and the body was lying on his side. 

Ren had curled up close together so that his hands could be near to his face. Frost decorated his fingers and the cuffs of his shackles, and for the first time ever Toru was impressed by waterbending. He had to shake himself from his thoughts first, and came rushing over, kneeling by the teenager as he let small, intense flames in the center of his palms burn at the chain links. They had very little time to move, it seemed, so he had to get Ren unchained from the wall and capable of running on his own. The panic was still very much alive in Toru's veins, sending every nerve alight and making it hard to keep it together.

However, this still half-dead kid broke apart the jumbled train of thought. "I'm guessing that you're Toru..?"

Good god.. 

"Yeah," he answered thickly, brow furrowing as the chain connecting Ren's wrists began to sag off each other. He moved onto the ankles next, watching from the corner of his eye how the dark skinned teenager - still considerably frail and weakened, he noted - let out an even breath and awkwardly used his hands to direct a surprisingly _visible_ line of air. Each small wave of the fingers in a downward motion had the breath collecting over the drooping chain, chilling it to the point where, like with the door, it became brittle. The connecting piece broke with ease, taking with it the part that had his arms connected to his waist with a foot-long line of chain. 

 

His reaction meant more than the entire world. Toru had been free before, he had even seen the eyes of a free man just after they've been let go, but he believed that nothing else could compare. Ren acted like it was the first time he had moved his arms or rolled his wrists. The dark haze in his eyes lifted to reveal a cornflower blue color, which practically shimmered when the teen pushed against the floor to prop himself up. This must've been a big change.. For a second, Toru wondered just how long the other had been here.

The same was done to the links at Ren's ankles and they both, collectively, moved to the long lines of chain that kept him attached to the wall by the belt around his waist. Within the cell it took a bit more effort to hear the riot. An alarm was now screaming, and it was only a matter of time before the prison was overrun with soldiers and guards. Big and San had yet to show up again but, if they never met up again, Toru wasn't sure if that would be on him. He shook his head quickly, trying to clear his head of guilty thoughts and sway his coarse bangs out of his eyes. The belt was much thicker to get through, so while they should've stayed on the chains instead they weren't going to get anywhere with a fifty pound weight holding them down.

"Is that..." Toru found himself saying, taking care to not burn too far through and potentially scar the other's body, "That breath thing, is that...airbending..?"

"No," was the near-immediate response, "Airbending's been dead forever, remember?"

"Oh..."

"It's waterbending.. Taking the moisture in the air and, uh--" Someone shouted out in the hall. "--making it super cold.. Directing it was the hardest part since I couldn't move my arms.."

He did a more exaggerated motion of pushing his chilled, snowy breath to the belt, sending it dropping into near-freezing temperatures at an astounding rate. Toru stood up first, tapping his foot against the ground with his anxiety. They had to go _now_ \- he could practically feel the entire Fire Nation military breaking down the walls. The inmates were probably already aprehended by this point, or dead, or somehow running free, so it was only a matter of time. 

Ren clung to the wall like a lifeline. It took way more effort to stand for the kid since it had been a long time since he had walked, or stretched out of his cramped position. As much as Toru wanted to give him the time to stretch it just couldn't be wasted any longer in that cell. They briefly exchanged words - a quick run down of how the raven would then be the one to _shove_ the _Avatar_ into the wall with as much force as possible. Ren charged, Toru shoved, and by slamming the brittle steel into the wall, they shattered the belt off in a clean break.

Anxious, Toru instantly turned for the door. "Time- Time to go."

By the time they exited the cell, fire was burning on the far side and lighting up the walls. Those capable of firebending must've really gone all out.. But what took priority was the two people running in their direction. It took a great deal of self-control to keep from running in the opposite direction, but soon Toru saw who they were, and managed to feel relieved at the sight. 

Big and San took the charge. Admittedly, they stumbled slightly when they saw - whether it met their expectations or fell far below - the person that was supposedly the Avatar. A scrawny, kind of lanky kid a few inches shorter than Toru with scraggly hair was bound to be underwhelming. However, there was no time to waste, and they all ran like hell.

**. . .**


	6. Chapter 6

Not only had it been well over two years since he last moved, but it had been many more since he _ran_. Ren just about fell onto his face a few dozen times, only barely missing the worst death in history thanks to Toru. Now each time he stumbled, there was a pale hand that kept lingering out to catch his elbow. He ran awkwardly, like a baby deer just getting used to solid ground. A few times, Big and San - the names of which he only had to guess when he saw them side by side - glanced back to make sure he was with them. It was either that, or they were hoping that the onslaught of guards had yet to come after them.

It didn't take much longer afterwards to get used to the familiar motion of his legs. Soon, he was up alongside Big and San with Toru taking up the rear. Each constriction of the muscles began to burn, the joints strained with each new step and rotation of the hip, and his lungs simply refused to let him breathe. You couldn't be out of shape if you were a young man in the South Pole; survival didn't allow it. The prisons didn't care about that, so what ended up happening was that it completely broke down all of his athletic ability. Ren was almost _positive_ that he was as useless as a seal pup.

There was no telling which turn led where. Somehow, it seemed like everyone else had an idea except for him. They turned down a sudden stairwell that Ren basically ran past, and would've continued to run past had Toru not snagged the hem of his shirt. The stairs themselves were step, dangerous when you were trying to go down them as quickly as possible. As the group came closer and closer to the ground level, the alarm equally got louder and louder. There was more noise the further down, like voices and jutting commands. It seemed like the stairwell was for maintenance, or easy access, or _something,_ because despite their obvious position held just within the threshold at the bottom, no one went up that way - nor did anyone come down.

So they waited. San crept low to the ground, scouting the opening hall with great care, while Big remained back a step with Toru. Ren was practically useless as he caught his breath, hand over his chest as if that alone would be enough to ease the burning sensation. He blinked a few times and looked around, a new voice catching his attention. It was mainly because of what they were saying, how they were saying it with such deep seeded rage. "Forget about the inmates!" they roared. There then came a searing hot burst of fire that silenced the entire hall. 

Toru came up beside him with a scowl, his rusted amber eyes glaring towards the active soldiers. "Warden," he said in a hushed tone. This was clearly only meant for Ren, as the other two seemed to have a pretty good idea just who that voice belonged to.

"Who _cares_ about some inmates?!" demanded the warden, "They're as good as dead anyways! What's important is that all you _idiots_ understand that the Avatar has ESCAPED!" He spat out the last word so harshly that it was like he was on the verge of breathing fire. "We need to figure out where he's going and block off every possible route until he's captured!"

Something was whispered to him - or spoken so much more softly by comparison - because Ren didn't hear a thing. Afterwards, the warden dismissed the guards he had scared so badly into stillness. The prison was a working machine again.

San tucked back against the wall first. His hands moved anxiously as they curled into the fabric of his overly sized shirt. "There's... There's one door out," he began mumbling, "and it's probably heavily guarded by now, ten times more than usual.. We can't get away without them following." That was when all eyes came to the Avatar, savior of hope and protector of peace, who looked at them with an almost dumb expression.

Of course they were looking at him... He wanted to hold up their expectations and be that hero, to say that he had a plan. If nothing else, now Ren was wishing he had come up with something better than just going in blind; Big and San should at least be able to escape too. Letting out a sigh he leaned against the closest wall, rubbing the shackles still clasped to his wrists. They waited for an answer - Toru as well - that he may or may not have been able to give.

 

He started slow. "I'm...sorry, I didn't plan in detail.. I just know that I have to get to the harbor. Somehow get out to open ocean."

It was Big who commented first, nodding rather thoughtfully. "Yer a waterbender, right?" he asked. Once he got his nod of an answer, that only made _him_ nod even more. "There's a lot of water over there, where you could really go nuts. It ain't gonna be easy, though, there's probably lots of soldiers there."

"More will come the longer we wait," said Toru, who straightened to a stand, "There might be a cruiser, recently docked or something. Taking one would be too much - too slow and too obvious - but they have smaller vessels on board. Part of safety or something. If I can get on board, I can release one of the smaller lifeboats."

There was the unspoken doubt of speed. A little lifeboat couldn't out run a fireball, much less another, more powerful ship. However, the firebender looked at Ren, and that alone answered it. Suddenly the pressure doubled; he'd have to get everyone there, propell the boat, and somehow make it far enough fast enough so that they can't be followed immediately. He only swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.

"What about the guards in the front?" Big asked then. The way he said it... It sounded so simple, as if every other aspect of the escape was planned out perfectly enough and this was the last piece. However, as he asked that, a new tension began to make the air impossible to breathe. He glanced at San, they communicated silently, and then turned towards the two benders of their group for an answer they themselves had not reached.

Ren wanted to ask what they were thinking, he wanted to know why there was suddenly some new resolve in the colors of their eyes. Toru cut in first, offering a suggestion of, "A cover." Big and San gave him a quizzical stare so he had to explain. "I mean, Ren can turn the water in the air really cold, and I can make the air really hot. If the two suddenly hit each other--"

A platoon of soldiers marched past the stairwell, the heavily armored and rattling steps causing each of them to hold their breath until it passed. After a couple of minutes, the sound was gone, and the alarm had long since been turned off. As one, they exhaled, and Ren found himself drawn towards the other's plan for a steam cover. No more words needed to be exchanged - any more and they would give away their position. With careful steps, they began to move into the hall and around the corners.

 

Ren was dreading everything at once. Everything screamed that this was going to end badly, yet they all persisted. As a unit, they dipped into a vacant room that still had lit lanterns and a faintly steaming cup of tea on the center table - it must've been abandoned once the alarm went off. Now came the problem of making a big enough and thick enough cloud of steam that could cover all four bodies. As they lingered, now close to the main entrance that was definitely overrun with guards outside, it was becoming harder and harder to keep _calm_. 

It felt like his heart was about to beat right out of his chest. Actually, his heart was beating so _loudly_ that he worried the guards would hear it. If a prison break was this terrifyingly stressful then what would it be like saving the entire world?! Ren didn't realize he was wheezing until San, small and frail, put a hand on his arm. It calmed him, but only because he now had to keep an image. It was because of San and Big that this was even happening; they believed so sincerely in a force that didn't exist.

When Ren looked up, Toru was waiting for him, his foot still just the smallest inch within the room. They would have to go out into the hall for this, to direct a big enough line of heat or cold - whichever came first - out the door and over a broader expanse. He remained hesitant, however the Avatar stepped out into the hall first. The doubts and uncertainties continued to fester but there was nothing he could do now that he was moving. 

He remained in the shadow of the hall, just out of sight of the guards that patrolled so diligently. By example, Ren began to show that the heat would come afterwards - and _quick._ Closing his eyes, it would take a lot more for a much colder, much bigger range of effect than a straight line. No doubt would his being out of practice complicate things. His arms lifted slow and steady, following the rise of an invisible trail from his lower body upward. Like wise, his breathing came slow. There was a soft current that tugged through the air - Ren could _feel_ it, could feel the way his lungs got overtaken by a chill and how the air, like his breath, moved slow. 

His hands came up to the base of his head and the palms turned upwards, to cup the breath he exhaled. The moisture in the air dropped to a temperature similar to the South Pole - to _home_ \- and the breath trailed outward. It was guided by unsteady hands, yet the flow of motion remained consistent. Beneath his feet the stone became etched with the bitten tendrils of frost. Sunlight from the outside hit the slight glimmer of the iced ground, of the freezing particles in the air, and those glints of fractals gave him away. In this instance, the slowness of the tortoise almost got them all killed.

"Hey! You there!" the soldiers barked, turning weapons and clenched fists in his direction. It was their hesitation that ended up saving them all, in fact, because the cold breath drifted to the outside, and Toru attacked _fast._

Steam exploded through the hall and outwards over a good portion of the leading pathway. The guards cried out for backup, thrown off balance by the pent up force behind the shift of ice to a gas. They had to move _now,_ otherwise they really were as good as dead. San, Big, and Toru surged forward, taking great care to pull the now-panicked Avatar with them. Ren was in such a state of shock that he actually relied on that support more than he should have, trailing just a step out of sync with the rest of them.

Their cover would work for only the briefest moment. Bursts of orange light popped up in random places, cutting through the density of the steam like a beacon. It was almost maddening how paranoid Ren was becoming. He scolded himself over and over again, insulting his title as a waterbender for not having better control of the frost. It would be the only thing in his mind even as the ground became rugged under his worn out flats, even as the rays of real sunlight filtered through the dissipating cloud of steam and a breath of fresh air filled his lungs. It was the only thing Ren found himself obsessing over, until he noticed that San and Big diverged from the group.

 

The steam was lifting; there was no _time_ to go back anymore, didn't they know that?! Big pulled off his shirt, exposing his barrel chest covered in the curliest of hairs, and draped the article over San's head. Now the blond man was hard to make out under the layers, features unidentifiable unless you came close. They turned back towards the prison, one shouting about how it would be okay, how they'll get away, but Big continued to look back. Toru kept going, a firm grip on Ren's elbow as they got farther and farther apart. He was just as shocked as the other, and stumbled in his step.

Now San was looking back as well, clapping both hands together in front him and nodding his head softly. For a moment, Ren could no longer hear, but he knew that he was screaming. Something about an apology, something about being at fault for not creating a better cover - _everything_ about them turning around and escaping with the two benders. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen; he was supposed to save them too, wasn't he!? But all the same, Big waved over his shoulder and continued with his act. The steam hadn't even lifted before they were completely surrounded. Ren couldn't go back for them, no matter how badly he wanted to.


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you keeping up?" Toru called over his shoulder.

The waterbender was hesitant to answer. Over the course of five minutes, they had crossed what felt like a great deal of distance. The Capital City Prison was nestled in the volcanic crater with the rest of the capital. Pushed up against the inner most wall of the bluff, finding an easier path up and out had been a challenge. Now they were crossing the hills, keeping as much of a low profile as they could on their way to the harbor.

All the while Ren was silent, numb and feeling increasingly more pathetic. The strain in his body wasn't what did it but the _crushing_ fact that he had let the two other inmates that helped in his escape to just throw themselves away like they did. Everyone was entitled to a free life, he thought, and he would probably be willing to give up his own freedom for theirs. It didn't matter now. Toru looked back at him with a questioning stare, eyebrow arched. In turn, he nodded.

They kept going as far as they could - there was no way for him, a person who had never really walked outside of the South Pole, to know where they were going - but the closer they got to the shimmering ocean the more tense Toru became. Their path went from the hills to a sunken path that was walled off on two sides by cliff faces, filing into a small canyon. He lifted a hand and stopped in his tracks, Ren bumping right into him before taking the time to look around. They had reached a city nestled in that very canyon. Beyond it was a tall, red and white tower that stood out like a sore thumb against the dim contrast of the buildings. 

Smoke billowed from chimney stacks, the civilians talked in what sounded like murmurs. It was vastly different from the pristine capital's smooth stones and vibrant colors. Ren let out a small breath and looked to the raven, noticing just how uneasy he was behaving. He was shuffling his feet, twitching the fingers of his still-lifted arm - staring straight ahead as they stood just before the city limits. Even this was enough to knock Ren, as upset as he was, into a response. "What is it?" he asked, giving Toru a nudge with his knuckles.

Toru turned his head partially and furrowed his brow. "Harbor City.." he explained in a low tone, "It's what stands between us and the Royal Plaza."

"Royal Plaza?!" Ren demanded, "I thought we were going to the actual _harbor_!"

"Of course we're- Have you never been to the...." He stopped himself, realizing just what exactly he had been saying. "Right.. Never mind. Anyways, Harbor City is full of all sorts of messed up people, though they shouldn't bother us; they think it's funny when prisoners _try_ to escape."

The pessimism was back, yet this time it wasn't Ren's. Toru was the one that was suddenly acting all nervous and doubtful, emphasizing the word "try" before going back to fidgeting in place. Since his trip here had been under extreme lockdown, contained in a metal box devoid of all elements that was dragged to the prison, the waterbender just...simply didn't understand what the big problem was. There was no turning back now, there was no _point_ in heading back if it meant making things worse for Big and San, so Ren began to walk forward - admittedly with some reluctance. He crossed the city's threshold first with Toru practically chasing after him.

 

Eyes followed both of them. Well, it was more like they were focused on Ren and Toru just happened to be there. After looking around as they went, he could understand why; his darker skin tone stood out against their more fair complexions, his blue eyes were vastly different to their warmer, fiercer colors of amber. Even their eye shapes differed enough to make a notable difference, as did the _type_ of hair on their heads. They were all at least dressed better than him. Ren was still - obviously - in the prison attire of flats, burgundy pants and a dull maroon shirt. The shackles clasped to his wrists and ankles were also a tell-tale sign that he shouldn't be walking free.

Yet, as Toru had suggested, no one stopped them. They only stared. 

Speaking of which, the firebender snagged onto his shoulder, coming up onto his right side and lowering his tone. His grip on Ren's shoulder was way stronger than it had been before, fingernails digging into his skin. "We should find another way," he was saying. The way he began staring at the looming tower made it seem like they were about to come face to face with a god; an overwhelming force that they shouldn't be fighting against.

Ren wanted to agree, even if he didn't know just what the issue was. He was compelled by an invisible force to keep moving despite his better judgement. If he could, he probably would've chosen a land-route as opposed to the water. He would've gone around the back of the capital instead of the front. It was almost like he _couldn't_ suddenly change his plan of attack. Toru turned his attention to him now, expression practically pleading for a less insane plan - or at least a reason as to why he was so set on this.

"I had a dream," the brunet said slowly, lowering his gaze to the cobble of the pathway, "where Avatar Roku showed me the harbor.. I'm sure he wanted me to go there. If some all-powerful guy from over a century ago suggests that I should go there, then why wouldn't I?"

"Because it's suicide," came the blunt, rather appalled answer. "Ren, I was warning about the harbor earlier for a good reason. It's the best way to get off the island if you think about it, and it can hold so many warships that are probably docked _right now_. The Royal Plaza is basically a guarenteed dead-zone and you have to cross it to get to the harbor. They know you're escaping, so they're probably ready."

Toru shivered, clearly shaken up from the mere _idea_ of reaching the Royal Plaza. He was in the navy, he would know just how this was going to play out. It came as a surprise that he still hadn't walked away. Ren kept pushing forward. The city was beginning to grow spaced out the closer they came to the red and white tower - the threshold into what he assumed was the Royal Plaza. Some of the civilians must've caught onto just what the circumstances might've been, why these two escaping convicts were walking so somberly towards their demise, so they stopped to stare. They must not have known that the Avatar had been held in the prison so close to their own doorsteps; otherwise they probably would've tried to stop him.

 

There were no soldiers positioned at the tower or the threshold. Instead, they and so many more stood beyond it in wait. A commander of sorts, decorated in superior armor and ornaments to his breast, stood before the assembled force. Toru lagged behind at the sight of them, Ren was lured in by the water in the harbor. They crossed the threshold into the plaza uncontested. Long white walls lined the sides of the cliff face, the lookout stations and watchtowers armed with a weapon he hadn't actually seen before. Tanks hid among the ranks of soldiers like a woodland creature in a bush. Everything was stationary, tense, until they saw him.

Ballistas on the tops of the watchtowers turned at the sudden cry to arms, tanks turned their barrels, and soldiers steadied their ranks, becoming as inpenetrable as the confining walls around them. The commander of this large crew was a proud man who tucked his arms behind his back and held his head high. His voice boomed like a cannon, stopping both of the benders in their tracks.

He called to them, mockingly, "So this is the Avatar, the all mighty and powerful force of nature."

It stung deeply. Especially because Ren _knew_ there was nothing special about his abilities. The Avatar was an underwhelming sight and he knew that better than he knew anything else, really. He took a step forward then stopped again, arms stationary at his sides. This provoked the commander to continue. A breeze came by to pull at the beard on his face and push the top-knot on his head. Ren's own, long hair came up around his face but it was like a cover now. "I will be kind," said the commander, "and merciful to you. You're only a child after all, right? Give yourself in nice and quietly, and this will all be over without anyone getting hurt."

Ren looked over his shoulder at the raven, who was so petrified in his place that he completely missed the attention. No doubt did the teen want to throw it in then and there; for all his talk, it's not like this would lead to anything good. Roku was a phenomenal Avatar - Ren knew that just by standing in his presence - so of course _he_ would view these odds favorably. There was no way _he_ would lose to this cocky military force that was probably designed to take down a village. Ren was no Avatar, no master of all four elements - much less a master of his own, now that he thought about it.

Plus, as it was now, there was still someone he had to be mindful of. San and Big had given themselves back to the Fire Nation so that he could escape. Toru didn't seem like the type to do that, mostly because he truly didn't care what did or didn't happen; as long as he wasn't hurt, it didn't matter. At least that's what the teen got from his character. So what was he to do now? Try to put up one hell of a fight against an enemy he couldn't beat? Give up the attempt and be taken away again? The harbor, the _water_ was so close... 

Chilling the air was one thing. He hadn't bent liquid water in over two years, so his skills were rusty and his abilities were stale. It was a massive body of water, too, making it much harder to control. Lost in thought, Ren hadn't realized how much time had actually passed until the military commander cleared his throat loudly, the sound reverberating against the surrounding walls. 

"Look," he insisted, lifting a hand to gesture, "I'm not a patient man. Make your choice before things get ugly." When Ren didn't move right away, the commander lifted his arm, signaling for the first line of soldiers to step up. They positioned themselves into a fighting stance at the mere turn of a wrist. The form for waterbending was fluid and smooth, at least to a certain degree. You had to adjust to follow the flow of water. You had to _be_ the water. Thinking back, he couldn't really think of a time where he had witnessed firebending, so Ren could only assume that these frontline soldiers were firebenders themselves.  
Ready to smoke him at a moment's notice.

It was terrifying. There was no hope anymore, not even any of the faux kind you could trick yourself with. He lowered his head in defeat yet felt the bitter sting of shame when the commander chuckled. "Smart choice."

"Ren, what..."

Toru's voice came as a surprise. The tone was ladened with confusion, uncertainty. Though this was the best choice available, Toru made it sound like he couldn't believe it. He had said before that he didn't care, so how come he was _now_ making it seem as if they should be trying harder? Ren, in turn, glanced over his shoulder. The raven was looking only at him with a questioning stare. 

_'After all this?'_ Ren could imagine him saying, _'After all that effort to break out, you're going to waste it?'_

They were literally so close to a large body of water. He had needed to get to the harbor, and yet here he was, not making use of it. Now... Could he do it..? Could he move the water closer? Could he cut a path through the soldiers? There was the tiniest spark of optimism - the tiniest, most minute of lights - somewhere in his chest. He lfited his gaze and said in a voice that was hardly more than a breath: "Still think you can get us a boat?"

 

Pure, unadulterated surprise. Toru's jaw dropped and his eyes widened, like he was at a loss for words. He still clearly had his doubts, fighting so obviously with himself about his lack of interest and the desire to keep going through, but he nodded slowly. It was good enough for now. Ren turned back towards the soldiers. Each new step he took felt heavier than the last as he came closer to the commander. The soldiers in the front were both tense and equally hesitant, as if they didn't know what to expect. Their commander remained sure of himself. He extended a hand outward and put the other at his belt, grabbing onto a pair of new shackles that hung there.

Ren kept going, easing his breath while keeping his eyes _over_ the small army. He could just barely make out a crystalline blue ocean over the pointed helmets of Fire Nation soldiers, could barely see past the curved points of warships or even what may lay beyond the harbor wall. The idea of getting out definitely had its appeal, however it was a luxury you couldn't have. 

He felt Toru following behind with about a yard of distance between them. Like a good prisoner, he was being obedient, yet he had ulterior motives to combat it. Ren took another breath, fists slowly uncurling at his sides. His fingers were limply pointed toward the ground, void of all the tension and anxiety that, at the same time, was also beginning to leave his body the more he approached. He could _feel_ it, the tug in his gut, the weird sensation of flowing motion through his limbs. 

Slowly, he lifted his arms in an arching-motion, bringing them up with great care. It visually looked the waterbender had lost all strength to fight, and that defeat hung as invisible weights. Beyond the Royal Plaza, in the belly of the harbor, docked warships creaked. They swayed against unnatural waves, teetering this way and that. Most of the water was seemingly pulled back to the sea for only the briefest of moments.

Now, in front of the commander, Ren brought his arms all the way up over his head. A sign of surrender. The commander smiled and loomed over him with a forceful presence. The shackles clinked together as he lifted them to chest level. "See?" he cooed, "That wasn't so hard, was it?" 

But that sign of surrender was also a sign of the tide. It came back in with a low grumble against the ground. Water surged from the harbor and overflowed from the designated basin, rising up into the plaza. It merely seemed like a slight earth tremor at first - no one would be any the wiser - until Ren himself was overcome with a bout of cockiness. A small half smile twitched across his lips then, appearing with such a suddeness that the commander's own expression fell. "You tell me," he answered, gesturing behind the man with his head.

The commander turned hesitantly, and his forces did the same. At first the water level had only been rising carefully, a bit faster than a crawl yet not fast enough to overtake the men at the rear until it was time. With his distraction, Ren prayed for everything to go well and swung his arms down as fast and as forcefully as he could.


	8. Chapter 8

He hadn't felt the flow of water in forever. The pull, the push; it was all awkward... But once he got the hang of it, it was like Ren himself had become a part of the tide. By bringing his arms down he had called the water forward. It came in large, rolling waves, knocking over soldiers and teetering the tanks onto their sides. He brought up a single hand to meet it like a wall and took the other to guide it around him. Toru had just about jumped behind him, keeping close to avoid the ocean as it became a beast on land. 

The soldiers around them - the frontline - had been washed away, pushed either farther back or to the neighboring walls. It hadn't lifted high enough to take out the watchtowers, though it definitely dealt enough of a shock to buy time. The wave then receded back into the harbor as soon as he let his concentration drop. "Let's go!" Ren quickly barked, charging forward with the firebender at his heels. Their window was just as quick to close. The commander had been one of many, it seemed, because while he was in the process of clearing his lungs of water another soldier in thicker armor was on his feet. 

He shouted orders that went unheard by Ren's ears. Soldiers got up quickly, some helping the tanks back onto their tracks and the others getting into a well-practiced formation. The ballistae turned back on the tops of the watchtowers and prepared to fire. The new commander - perhaps a general of sorts - shouted to attack and it was like all hell broke loose. Thanks to the wave, however, Ren had ammunition of his own in the form of puddles or trails, reacting on only instinct. As wave after wave of fire came in from all around, he jumped forward, hand waving over the closest puddle and bringing up a streamline of water with it. The spin of his arms had it surrounding Toru and himself for the moment. It acted as a defense that doused the flames once they came into contact. Had it been regular fire, it would've lasted much longer; but since it wasn't, now he had to keep moving.

 

All forms of sound were blocked out. It became a dance, a rehersal of everything the waterbender knew and even forgot during his time in a cell. He had never fought anyone before, much less a small army. This was where instinct became the only thing he could rely on. Against the fire, he stood a chance with his natural element. Against the heavy arrows launched from the ballistae, they came in too fast and with too much weight; an ice shield or wave did nothing against its power, so he could only move the water fast enough in either form to cut it in half. Against the tanks, they only needed to be overturned or have their barrel heavily damaged. Against physical combat, he was doomed.

That was where Toru came in as they approached the harbor's waters. The firebender had temporarily disappeared from Ren's mind as the fight began, only reappearing when he attacked a soldier that nearly took advantage of a blind spot. It was startling to witness even from the corner of his eye. How this young man, broad shouldered and considerably well-built, didn't rely on firebending to fight against others. He was fierce, powerful, exhibiting moves like the nonbenders that charged in yet also fighting as if he was currently bending. It was blend of fighting that was commendable, even from the perspective of someone who had never fought before now.

At the water, it suddenly seemed like the small army knew what they were planning. An order from the lead commander had soldiers loading into the unmanned warships. They were going to defend it, to keep both Ren and Toru off of the ship and away from the engine room. There still remained the obstacles of unloading a lifeboat and getting past the harbor gate so it wasn't like once they boarded any kind of vessel it'd be over, however they weren't taking any chances. This was both impressive on the army's behalf and detrimental on their's.

Backed to the harbor's edge they only had one shot at the nearest ship. Water from the bay lapped up at their ankles, reminding them just how little of a chance they had. Ren may have been a waterbender but he was against an army. Clenching his jaw so tightly he thought the bone might shatter, he took a few steps further into the harbor until the water level met his shins. Mobility would be lowered but now he could keep himself protected; as long as they didn't successfully corner him, everything would be fine. "I can...hold them here," the brunet said through his teeth. "Can you handle the lifeboat thing?"

"It's one ship, not an army," was Toru's response, "As long as you don't get yourself killed I'll be fine." He sprung to the right, attracting the flaming attacks from part of the soldiers. Ren swung his right arm up at an angle to create a defense between them but it wasn't going to last much longer. He kept on the defensive for now, just to make sure he could catch his breath and the firebender would make it onboard one of the ships. That's when Toru charged for the closest warship with large strides, hair blowing back out of his face. 

The soldiers already on deck noticed the male and hurried to raise the lowered bow. As long as they kept him off, it would be enough. It was brought back half way when he blew their minds, throwing down his fists and expelling a hot, propulsing blaze from both. He shot upward just enough to grab the sharp edge of the loading ramp, using that as a means to climb up and onto the ship. Ren worried, from the corner of his eye, that the confined space of the upper deck would make things difficult, but his concern was wasted. His friend held his own surprisingly well.

 

It was incredibly stupid to be worrying about someone else anyways, especially when he had an army at his doorstep. The large wave that was brought up to keep himself safe was broken apart when a powerful fireblast, shot from the barrel of a tank, pierced through the deadcenter and just barely missed his head. With his focus wavering, the wave fell back into the harbor, revealing the crushing sight of what was to come. 

The army had reassembled, they had gotten their acts together. Reinforcements were currently crossing into the Royal Plaza on the backs of armored, komodo rhinos, and now he was faced with the futility of the situation. Some of the newly arriving soldiers wore pure red armor that glinted in the sunlight, leading what looked like a much more important military figure. Ren couldn't even imagine who it might've been, if it was someone more high ranking than the commander, but it was definitely enough to enstill a sense of unyielding panic. 

Toru was somewhere below deck now, out of sight.

Ren came back up to his full height and tried to look anywhere but at the ballistae that reloaded or the wave of soldiers in armor that blocked out the white stone of the ground. There were just so many of them... When the briefest second of stillness passed, they all attacked in barrages of fire and arrows. Instinct did very little to save him now, the teen sweeping his arms up to bring a wave to defend against the heat. He had to step out of the way of ballista shots that came whistling through, splashing into the water at his side. The scene was distorted through the water but he could see each new stance, each new strike that sent fire coming his way.

In a moment of reaction, he pushed the wave forward and washed down over the oncoming first line. Zaken would've been disappointed in him, because this entire time Ren had failed to use all forms of water that were available to him; you didn't always need your breath to freeze water into ice. Once the soldiers were on their backs he pushed his hands downward, willing the water to chill and solidify so that they couldn't move. This, in turn, created a surface that was hard to walk over. However there were just too many firebenders and too much heat for it to be effective. Soon it was melted away, the soldiers advancing even closer.

 

The pressurized hiss of steam cut through the air, followed by the grating rotation of a machine. Ren let this capture his attention and he looked towards the nearest warship. A part of the hull had opened to the water. A considerably small lifeboat had fallen into the bay, holding only one passenger within it; a tattered, hardly singed prisoner who continued to hold off soldiers with powerful blasts of fire. Each attack counted as a little extra bit of propulsion, bringing Toru and the small vessel farther out into the open waters of the bay. He turned, desperately, to locate Ren and was panicked when he did.

For good reason, as the teen was charged at for the umpteenth time. It happened so quickly, so suddenly, that when Ren tried to defend himself with all sorts of ice and water it did very little. A problem with waterbending was that it was connected to emotion. Sure, the sudden rise of a wave pushed the first group to the side and the snap of a few tendrils that surfaced around him countered focused blasts of fire, but once it became clear that this did nothing to stop the soldiers, everything kept going downhill.

Ren was panicking. Each movement, no matter how long or what the intention may have been, created short reactions. His desperation made it look like he was flailing his arms wildly, occasionally bringing up waves that did nothing or shields of ice that couldn't even hold up their own forms. Things only got worse when the sharp whistle of an arrow cutting through the air reminded him of the harbor wall - and the sentries on top. Pain burst through his shoulder, then through the back of his thigh. 

They may have been firing this entire time, they may not have. Whatever the case was, the waterbender stumbled enough to let all defenses fall. Soldiers surged forward with weapons and flames. He tried to run farther out to hopefully get the water to save him, maybe even reach Toru who was drifting farther and farther away. They tackled him like a wild herd of animals, knocking him to the water with a splash. His limbs were pinned, his body was pinned, and each desperate flail to push himself up off the descending ramp of the plaza and keep his head over the water ended in failure. 

Briefly, control was regained and the water snapped back into the chests of the soldiers, matching each frantic wave of the arm, but there was always another to take their place. Toru was shouting now, leaning over the edge of a motorless boat that was bound to be his grave. Ballistae launched shots overhead that were aimed for the small lifeboat and as Ren was shoved back down under the water by the weight of a bigger soldier, he saw the raven's futile attempt to protect himself. A burst of fire did very little against the physical, piercing power of a ballista's shot. 

 

Ren had failed. His once free arm was now pinned under the boot of another man, his lungs were burning with the held breath. San and Big were in prison again, probably facing terrible punishment for helping the _Avatar_ escape. Toru, as reluctant as he always made himself to be, had done his part to get the vessel they could escape in and freed the _Avatar_ from his chains. They had counted on the _**Avatar**_ to do what they needed and that was to escape. All of this effort, all of this futile fighting against a highly trained military force - it was all for the _**Avatar.**_ The same Avatar that only used simple waterbending techniques even though he knew the more advanced ones; The same Avatar that denied everything he dreamt about; The same "Avatar" that didn't believe in a master of all four elements. He was a failure to everyone that believed in the myth and a failure to the people that helped him. Now, Toru was going to die for helping him. Ren would've killed him. The water's current came to a grinding halt. Since the soldiers weren't very far out into the bay, still able to keep close to the ground, they wouldn't have known this. But Ren did, because he was the one that caused it. His thoughts were fuzzy, clouded, and his vision no longer retained any shapes. All that he could feel was this overwhelming surge of energy that had no business being in such a weak body. Hundreds of lifetimes and thousands of years exploded all at once.


	9. Chapter 9

Every single Fire Nation soldier in the bay was thrown back on land, expelled by the water itself and left at the mercy of the fall. Soldiers cried out in alarm, ballistae stopped their barrage of shots, and the reinforcements hung back. Tension made the air thick and impossible to breathe, to the point where even time got stuck. Toru looked on with a surprised expression, wondering just what had changed. He knew that Ren was the one being held underneath the water's surface however the change in power had been too drastic. Perhaps he had gotten a second wind?

From the water then stood a sopping wet body, hunched and heavy. His back was held to the Royal Plaza, leaving him exposed to attack, but no one dared to move. It became quite clear as to why when Ren's head lifted, and the dripping bangs fell away from his eyes - his white, glowing eyes. Toru's jaw just about hit the edge of the boat at the sight of it. The Avatar turned towards the army with fists clenched tightly at his sides. There wasn't a single soul stupid enough to make their move, because they knew of legends. Of the tales regarding an Avatar's most powerful form.

Time resumed its usual tick but what came next was the tipping of the scales; instead of the army laying waste to a single kid, it was a single kid laying waste to the army. Each swing of his arm brought up waves taller than the biggest warship, directing them with better accuracy than before. They slammed down and turned into ice, shattering over the heads of soldiers. From another side came five whipping tendrils directed by just the fingers of Ren's right hand. His body held a grace that surpassed the first attack in the plaza, his dance was more fluid like the water. Suddenly not even the ballista shots stood a chance. The tanks were drenched in water - harmless at first, until Ren's fists clenched and it became covered in ice. 'But why stop there!' seemed to be his mindless mentality, because the tighter he clenched his fists, the deeper the ice seeped. He released all the tension in his hand and the tank practically _exploded_ , crushed by the outward, expanding force of ice heating almost instantaneously to a gaseous state. 

"What are you waiting for!?" shrieked the lead commander, his top-knot undone and wild over his face, "Attack him!"

When the soldiers under his command mustered up the courage to try, they were met with more than just water. Ren raised his leg up for a second, then slammed it back down, parting the water and exposing the stone beneath him. He held the water back as if with ease and did something no one had ever seen before, taking the same leg and slamming his heel into the ground. It cracked, it _shattered._ It practically splintered all the way up to the even ground of the plaza. With his arms extended out directly in front, the Avatar wasted no time in separating his reach - which, in turn, split the very ground.

 

It was completely unheard of. Power that could hold water back and break apart the ground at the same time? It was the stuff legends were made out of. The water fell back into place and the armed forces were busying trying to keep from falling into the crevasse made just for them. Besides, it didn't matter if you had training or not; the soldiers had never encountered anything as terrifying as the Avatar. Many fled, trampling over each other as they fell back to the rear of the group. 

Perhaps it was a bit late to notice, but Toru realized that this wasn't Ren. The movements had been far too fluid, and for god's sake he just did _earthbending._ He was stuck in a state of silence, unable to find his voice. However the reinforcements that had come didn't hold the same fear as the others, taking to the front lines in their all-red armor. The important military figure - figures, it seemed - remained at the back where they could only watch; it was as if they had no interest in actually joining the fight. These new soldiers unleashed a barrage of the attacks, all of which were met and countered with a wall of water. 

The Avatar then changed his strategy. Swallowed up by the bay in the blink of an eye, he rose again a few yards further out, lifted by a twister of fast moving water. It was like a way of flying, really, that brought him all the way to the lifeboat. The small vessel rocked violently against the waves and Toru actually had to grab on to the edge to keep from being tossed out. He could _feel_ the powerful energy radiating off of Ren, the same energy that was bending the water with little physical movement. It was nothing compared to any of the people he had met before, or the bending he had encountered. In fact, it didn't even compare to the waterbending Ren had been doing a little while ago.

Ballistae continued their volly of shots and the sentries on the harbor wall sent down massive waves of arrows - some flaming and some not. Catapults had been added to the fray, their projectile ignited with a quick burst from a firebender. These new onslaughts must've been ordered by _someone_ , otherwise it wouldn't have been so organised. They had a new goal of destroying the little vessel and crushing its escaping passengers, yet were knocked off course or doused by the whips that reached from the water to meet them. Ren dropped from his twister and landed in the little life boat, his eyes continuing to glow so brilliantly. He had begun to churn the water in great, broad swings of his arms and twists of his torso, preparing to release something bigger than the harbor itself with the intent of wiping out the plaza full of soldiers.

Suddenly, it was as if the light of the sun dimmed. The hair on the back of their necks - Toru _and_ Ren alike, as the teen had even hesitated in his movements - stood up on end.

_KA- **RACK!**_

A bolt of lightning just barely missed Ren's head, arching enough and timing _luckily_ enough with the bounce of the harbor's waves that it jumped over him continued past the top of the harbor wall. His ears were ringing, the eardrums possibly ruptured by the volume of the sound alone. Even the other attacks stopped, commanded by that one bolt of lightning. Ren didn't turn around, nor did he move for a few moments afterwards. It was as if he already knew who had conjured up such incredible firebending.

When he finally did move again, it wasn't elaborate or all that powerful. Toru clung to the boat again as thin veils of water rose up around them, joining together to create a bubble. He watched, amazed, as another wave came and swallowed them whole. Caught in a powerful current, their little pocket of air was pushed underneath the wall, burst through one of the grates, and out into open ocean. It was amazing to watch the world of blue go by, occasionally catching a glimpse of some fish or other marine creature that hadn't already gone into hiding with their approach. 

It took quite a while until something changed again. The Avatar stumbled, the current staggering with him and the bubble allowing a few trickles of water to slip through. They weren't actively being pursued so, why was he still maintaining such a continuous streamline of energy? It was eventually made clear when an orange glow came filtering down from above. Toru looked up and realized just how risky this whole thing had been; the Great Gates of Azulon, the second line of defense towards all who tried to invade the Fire Nation. Jet skis were skimming over the top of the water in broad circles, even as they passed underneath the flaming net and grand statue of Firelord Azulon. 

The current slowed drastically then, and while Ren continued to bend in smooth, fluid motions, it was most likely to keep them from floating back to the top. His head lifted, eyes directed towards the shadow that overtook the submerged vessel. A warship was slowly passing overhead... A singular warship, a few dozen jet skis, and well over forty soldiers. It was hard for Toru not to hold his breath until they had long since passed.

 

Somehow, they made it undetected, out in the middle of the ocean where no bit of land could be seen. The Avatar raised his arms slowly, the boat raising up from the water and breaching like a whale on the surface. It's bubble cover shed away with a small splash against the waves. Toru took a breath, exhaled, then looked to Ren. He was swaying, but out of time with the gentle bob of the ocean. It was hard to tell just what had been going on in his head - in any part of him, really - but his lips soon parted and a voice seeped out.

"Hngh.." 

The glow in his eyes died almost instantly once the danger had registered as fully passed. His body became as heavy as a sack of bricks, the sway becoming heavily exaggerated before he fell over against the edge of the boat. He would've slipped into the water had the raven not snagged onto his waist, extending over a two lines of benches to grab him. "Careful there, big guy," came the grunt of effort, "Can't have you falling overboard."

Ren could hardly feel any part of himself. Every limb tingled with an energy that still bounced through his veins, his toes felt cramped like they were cold, and his tongue felt like thick cotton. His vision eventually stablizied itself while most of him was leaning off the boat, and filled with shapes that were startlingly clear. In the water, it was his own reflection that stared back, distorted by the crest of small waves. Peaceful, tired... Blue.. Definitely him, yet it was like he had never seen himself before.

It took some time before he could properly push against anything. He pushed against the inner wall of the boat, using it to bring himself back into the safety of its belly with the help of Toru. The firebender had moved closer to establish a better grip, too, which was something that ended up being _greatly_ needed when Ren's hands slipped and he almost slipped back against the edge of the boat. Thankfully without a concussion, he fell as far back as he could, sprawling over the first bench and part way into the second bench, his head just next to Toru's thigh. He was looking at him, the dazzling shine of a sun behind his head making it easy to make out his silhouette.

Suddenly, everything settled in. Ren looked past the other and at the sky, taking in the endless blue that was occasionally marked by a white cloud. The air was sweet in his lungs, the sunlight warm against his skin. Even the occasional splash of a wave against the side of the boat brought about the nicest spray of water. He had been outside for all of about, what? An hour? The entire time, Ren hadn't even taken a moment to soak it all up. He was outside now.

Toru spoke up, asking, "Ren? You okay?" 

The corners of his mouth twitched upward only slightly. Soon he had no control over the broad smile that overtook his features, crinkling his eyes and raising his brow. "Mhm.." he hummed a bit roughly, "It's just...nice.. Really nice.."

"Guess so, huh?"

**~#~#~#~**

__

_Across the world, word traveled quickly. Of how temples came to life and how the sages that still remained witnessed, with their own eyes, the light of the Avatar. No one knew where he had been, or where he had gone._  
_No one knows where he will go or where he will be._  
_Now they know that he is_ there.  
_The Avatar still lives._  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed the introductory explosion of updates. I will start to exercise control from now on and update a bit more sparingly rather than nine chapters in what feels like three days. That's probably best for everyone anyways.
> 
>  
> 
> I'll gladly take any feedback or thoughts on this, and hopefully some of you will be sticking with me throughout the journey (even as I constantly go back and change things, specifically the titles of things). Let's all go frickin HAM.


	10. Chapter 10

The sun beat down relentlessly with its stare. It was somewhere near the middle of summer it seemed, and the land was unforgiving. Each rock gave off the built up heat of the afternoon, the trees were doing their best to keep from drying out, and the only safety came from a crisp, comfortable ocean and the scarce bits of shade. Somehow, fate had taken quite kindly to the two new escaped prisoners. No warships, jet skis, or patrolling Fire Nation had found them; there were no airships overhead or war balloons scouting. Their boat had been pushed by the current, guided by the breeze - and encouraged by a few long strokes of the oars - until it arrived at the mouth of a secluded bay. Sheer cliffs blocked in the beach from prying eyes and provided decent shade during the earlier hours of the day. 

Aside from the koala sheep that meandered near the edge of the cliff, it didn't look like a popular vacation spot. For now, they were, by some stroke of luck, granted a free breath of fresh air. Ren and Toru stepped back from their work of pulling the lifeboat to shore and paused to look around. Each of them were tense in their own way, though maybe it wasn't just a _general_ type of tension. There seemed to be something bothering Toru, it was obvious in the way his gaze always flickered over to the teen. They had, however, been free from the Fire Nation's grip for a couple of hours already. This new lifestyle was bound to make some things weird.

 

They split up briefly during their time in the cresent-shaped bay. Ren found his way up to the grassy clifftop where he gathered up twigs and brambles from the small woodlands further inward, while Toru did a small bit of exploring so he could get his barings. It was weird being among trees like he was, so casual. Everything about it was alive and lush, and thereby different from the dull life of imprisonment. He had been kept away from everything, chained to himself like a hog - the cuffs still tightly clasped to his wrists and ankles jingled every time the remaining chain links knocked against them. It was a bitter, almost cruel reminder.

How come he got to be free? How come it was no one else _but_ him? What he represented meant nothing if it couldn't be acted upon; his being the Avatar only got him and another singular person so far. One could only guess what kind of life Big and San were now experiencing because of it. Shaking his head of all those building, doubtful thoughts, Ren came back to the edge of the cliff and dropped his collection down haphazardly. He watched as it knocked against the rocks and bounded down to the soft shore. At the same time, Toru was returning from around the eastern side, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Now, Ren _could've_ climbed down. He could've found his way back down just the same way he had come up, but that's not what he opted to do. Maybe it was a subconscious effort to cheer himself up, or a way to begin making up for his disgrace back in the harbor, because _walking_ just didn't seem like something he was interested in. It was better to keep a low profile and not do anything that may attract the attention of passing ships - he did the exact opposite.

The surge came through his gut, arms lifting and beginning to move in a uniformed fashion. Up, down. Up, down. He did a long jump off of the edge and brought up his arms a final, sweeping time as he fell. That's when a wide stream of water, rushing like a jet, surged up to catch him midway. His body cut through it like a sharp projectile, bubbles tingling all over his body and through his nose. A few more careful, pushing-motions brought him to the ground, and the water returned to the bay.

He turned around and was greeted by an almost annoyed expression on Toru's face. "Was that _really_ necessary?" he bitterly asked.

No. No, it wasn't. However, the reaction made Ren feel a little bit lighter and he was glad that he had done it. It made for good practice if nothing else.

**~#~**

Evening came at a leisurely crawl, painting the sky in dying lights of orange and yellow as the sun began to sink over the horizon. Toru dug a small pit out in the sand before surrounding it in stones he had found laying across the beach. He piled up the twigs and branches Ren had gotten earlier - as well as their broken bits from the fall, using that more so for kindling - right in the center and stood up. He inhaled deeply through his nose then struck his arm forward, a quick burst of flame igniting the wood into a small fire. Now they had a fire, but it acted more as a source of light once the oranges began to get replaced by the dark navy of night rather than for warmth. Thanks to the season, the night time wouldn't be unpleasant.

Ren, meanwhile, had meandered out to the peninsula, crouching on one of the many rocks that poked over the waves. Due to their current lighting situation, it wasn't hard to keep an eye out for anything that moved. They would need food - he could honestly go for quite a while without any - so before the sun set too far, it would be best if they had _something_. That same something ended up being a fish about a foot long and covered in muddy red scales. By the time Ren had brought it out of the water in a small sphere that it could still swim in, the sun was finally setting and the evening light died down to the gloom of the night.

His steps along the shore were softly trodden, picking his way carefully back to the fire without stepping on a sharp rock or wandering crustacean. The water sphere floated just beside him, the gentle waving of his hands keeping its shape and moving it along with the fish still swimming within it. Overhead, the stars began to appear through the dark, shimmering and glittering like precious gems; from the horizon rose a moon that was about four days away from being full. At night, he just felt better overall. The feeling was emphasised by the fact that this stood to be his first night walking free. 

Waterbenders were naturally stronger during the night as well, due to the moon's blooming influence. Quite some years ago, when he was hardly capable of walking, the Southern Water Tribe had witnessed a time when the moon disappeared all together. Two moonless nights afterwards, it returned, and nobody knew what had happened. The final decision was that it had been an extended new moon period - a stray anomly in the sky that never occured again. 

 

He arrived at the fire moments later, temporarily releasing the fish back into the bay now that it was closer. Since his tribe had focused primarily on fishing as its form of food, Ren knew that it wasn't right to let it suffocate on land. The best thing to do would be, while its in water, to hit the fish with a blunt force or nail it either in the spine or brain. It minimized the suffering just enough to be "humane". As it stood now, and had always stood to be, it was a matter of survival; he shouldn't _care_ about being kind to the fish that he was about to eat. Be that as it may, it was practically subconscious by then, almost second nature from the long time without practice.

The fish didn't swim away immediately. Instead, it swam in confused circles just a yard from shore. It hadn't noticed that anything was wrong - the transference in a bubble of familiar water probably was the reason behind it - and was in no hurry to escape. Ren drew a small stream of water from the bay, solidifying it into hard, sharpened ice. He could practically feel the fish's vibrations through the water, so even though the sun had set and the fire cast dancing shadows around him, the brunet could still tell where the fish was. The ice spike shot forward like an arrow, whistling like glass as it cut through the air. A quick flick of the wrist downward made it dive and pierce its target, while the gradual pull inward of the arms brought the killed fish back to the shore.

He stooped down to pick it up, feeling a little sad for killing it. It had been a fairly beautiful fish to look at... Maybe they could've eaten something that grew in the woods instead of killing something like this. It was too late to consider alternative options now, so he brushed aside the thought. Ren hooked his fingers up under its gills and turned towards the fire where Toru was currently sitting. The raven had been prodding at the fire with a stick not even a minute ago, but now his gaze was up, the rusted red-amber of his irises appearing like molten bronze with the firelight. 

Ren didn't say anything at first. He sat himself down cross-legged by the fire and took one of the available sticks to skewer the fish with, nestling it over the rocks to cook before leaning back on his hands. The crackle of the fire and the hushed crash of the ocean was all that filled the silence; it was as if nothing else existed except for that island. It would've been nice to keep everything like that, however there were more pressing matters at hand. That's when Toru cleared his throat and sat forward, knees bending partially. "I think I know where we are," he offered to start.

They began to converse in more casually-stern tones. There was nothing truly friendly between them so maybe that wasn't a surprise. Ren only listened at first, unable to contribute much in the way of information. Toru went off to explain where they had found themselves, waving his stick up to emphasize and even draw in the sand between them. "The Fire Nation," explained the raven, drawing a rough version of the archipelago, "has essentially left a lot of their islands as they were, so they're not necessarily colonized or populated like everywhere else. We're not too far from the Great Gates of Azulon, on an uninhabited island encompassed of the Black Cliffs. This-"  
He gestured to the walls of sheer rock that encompassed the seculded bay.  
"-makes up the actual black cliffs part of that title."

He made a dotted line for the Gates of Azulon and circled where the Black Cliffs were. Ren's stomach sank like a rock when he saw how close the two locations where. Unfolding his legs so he could hug his knees to his chest, he let out a small, minute whimper. "We're still really close.."

"A little bit," Toru admitted, "but it's not like this is actually to scale or anything. We did pretty good for having just a little row boat."

"Wouldn't it have been better to keep going instead of stopping?"

"They'd _expect_ us to keep going. By making a pit stop they're a day behind our actual schedule-thing."

Schedule was a word for people who had a plan. A plan was exactly what they _didn't_ have. Ren only shrugged his shoulders, tending to the cooking fish before it had a chance to burn. Once the scales eventually cooled it wasn't hard to split open the meal. Offering the larger portion to the larger male, he sunk his teeth into the steaming hot flesh. His mouth released a waterfall of saliva at the taste of something _good_ as opposed to usual slop was far too much for him to bear. Toru had a similar reaction, however he hadn't been separated from food for nearly as long as the other.

It was gone in a flash, the remaining bones and skin being tossed into the flames. When the teen focused back on the present from his ellated daze, Toru was wearing a sort of half-smile and offering some of his own share. "N-no, it's fine," Ren insisted, shaking his head, "I don't need anymore."

Obviously, Toru didn't believe him, bouncing the third of his share in his palm before saying, "I've eaten more, so I don't need it as much as you."

For not caring, the raven seemed to have a nice enough heart. Mumbling a meek word of thanks, he accepted the portion offered and began to eat, the shackles clinking together whenever he moved his hands. They finished their meal - equivalent to an actual dinner - and stared at the fire, occasionally adding new wood from their off-handed stash to keep it going. By that point, the moon had risen from over the ocean and the water illuminated into a silvery lagoon for as far as the eye could see. Ren found himself staring over his shoulder, mesmerized by the stillness that had over come the waves. It was like the whole world had fallen asleep.

**. .**

Some time passed before anyone spoke again. Ren had been feeling sleepy from his now-full stomach and the constant hum of the ocean's waves, so when the raven decided to speak up, he was jolted from his daze. Looking ahead now, he rubbed at his eyes. Toru was waiting for an answer - it seemed like whatever he said the first time had completely slipped by. "I'm sorry," the waterbender apologized, stifling a yawn, "I didn't hear you.."

"I said, do you want to get those cuffs off now?"

He looked down to his wrists, as if their existence had never been a problem before. Though, it _would_ be nice to get them off.. To be able to roll his wrists or ankles, or even move without having their edges rub sorely into his skin. They began to feel tighter after he regained some slight weight so maybe it was best if they get them off for good; plus, it would be easier to hide without rattling like a wind chime. Ren nodded slowly and blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. "Can you?" he asked, "Like, without burning me?"

There was a second of hesitation. Toru scratched at his jaw thoughtfully, staring at the shackles. He sighed, "The chains had been easier because there was distance... I can maybe get it by where the chain connected and make that part really weak. You can do your breathy-thing."

"Fair enough."

"Plus, waterbenders are healers. You'll be fine."

"...We are..?"

Ren's confusion spoke volumes more than it should've. After all, he had never even heard of waterbending to heal an injury. There was always the speculation that water was the element of healing - among other things - so it made some degree of sense. He just didn't know someone could bend the water to _bring_ healing. Either way, they moved on from that and Toru brushed it off easily. 

They sat closer together now, sliding over so that it would be easier to see what each other was doing. Ren brought up his right hand first, turning his arm so that the connecting steel loop on the inner most side was exposed. Toru supported the wrist with a hand underneath it, using his available one to expel a compressed, smaller flame from his palm. So much heat and energy was contained, _controlled_ in that candle-sized light. It was amazing to watch how little time it took for the links to turn red hot and eventually exceed that level into a yellowish-white; it was even brighter than the fire in the pit.

The heat got to be too much to bear because once the main, anchoring loop began to sag, the energy being put into it finally radiated out to the cuff and the skin it encased. Hissing out a breath, Ren flinched away, causing the raven to stop his fire and sit back. He waited patiently while the teen blew practically freezing breaths over the cuffs. The rapid change in temperatures was a bit painful too, especially on skin. Now the steel was brittle and fragile, cracking against each roll of the wrist. Toru used a rock to break it open like a nut and a small wisp of steam rose from the freshly-exposed skin.  
That was one down, now three more to go.


	11. Chapter 11

"Can I ask you something?" Toru suddenly interrupted. His gaze remained lowered, and focused on the next shackle as he took his time with it.

This came as a surprise. Now that Ren was more alert - primarily due to the slight burn of hot metal against skin and the immediate chill afterwards - it didn't go unnoticed. Furrowing his brow, the teen nodded. "Sure.. What is it?"

Like he would do back in the prison, Toru took his time to answer despite being the one that provoked the conversation in the first place. The flame wasn't as intense as the first time, bringing the main chain loop to a red hot glow a little more gradually. That way, the heat didn't seep through the steel and burn against the skin immediately. Ren continued to mentally prepare himself despite that, a constant cool breath trapped in his cheeks. Though, when he thought about it, perhaps water would've been the better way to cool the burn..? And had his hand not been in the grip of a firebender and the slightest movement not been a one way ticket to Burnsville, he would've smacked himself in the face.

He was a waterbender. He could've bent the water to _cut through the steel._  
Renya, certified waterbending genius.  
Also an idiot.

He kept that detail to himself and let the raven continue with his work; no point in interrupting it now.

Eventually the steel weakened just enough without causing too bad of a burn. Ren retracted his arm and blew his freezing breath over it. It worked out better than the first time since he wasn't panicked or desperate to cool a burn, so the change in temperatures wasn't painful. Again, Toru shattered the brittle steel with his designated rock and the pieces were left to the mercy of the sand. It was nice to not have such a distracting, bitter weight tightly gripping his wrists. So much time had passed since he _hadn't_ worn the shackles that, now that he was free, it felt weird; like he was exposed, or even naked.

He gave a few scoots back to let the ones around his ankles be warmed down. It was when he started to set his flame against the link on the left ankle that Toru finally decided to ask his question: "Where are you going to go?" 

 

It was like a sudden reality-slap in the face. If he was being honest, Ren had no idea where he was going to go, or what he was planning to _do_ for that matter. He had told the unidentifiable person in his dreams, as well as Toru, that he wouldn't go home. The problem there was that, in a time of mental and emotional crisis, who _wouldn't_ go home?! Back home, everything made sense. Back home, he had his mother. Ren probably told them he wouldn't because he didn't think he'd escape in the first place! He wanted to go home more than anything else, where he was the Renya that just so happened to also be a waterbender.  
But, in doing so, wouldn't he then jeapordize everything that was there? 

The heat started to seep against his skin, causing him to clench his jaw tightly out of discomfort. Another breath turned the cuff brittle and another strike from the rock broke it off in pieces, then they were on to the last one. Ren leaned back on his hands before letting out a sigh. "I don't...know," he admitted rather begrudgingly, "I need to get out of the Fire Nation first, but after that... I don't know."

His answer didn't seem to satisfy Toru at all, who pursed his lips in a thin line. Seeing that kind of reaction only pissed him off immensely. Who was he to judge? Toru was free now; Ren's uncertainty had nothing to do with him!

Chewing on his lower lip Ren found his fingers curling into the sand. He couldn't fight off the bitterness that seeped into his tone, "What about you then? Where are _you_ going to go?"

"Don't know, don't care. I even told you that before we escaped."

True enough, but that didn't make it any better. He grumbled softly to himself as they finished the last cuff. It was nice to be free for real this time, however now the mood had turned sour, and he wanted nothing more than for everything to magically mend itself. Curling his legs back up to his chest, Ren pressed his chapped lips to his knees. He was fairly quiet in his thanks, Toru only nodding in response.

**. .**

The fire eventually died down to soft embers and smoke. Both of the boys had retreated to their boat by then, nestling on opposite sides of each other; Toru sprawled himself out over the two benches on his half while Ren curled up against the point at the front, a whole eye level lower and on the floor of the vessel. The moon was directly overhead now, lighting up even the darkest recesses of the rocky cliff face to turn the world a soft hue of silver. Nothing made a sound as the world dozed peacefully - even the tropical summer bugs were no longer chirping.

Ren folded his arms tightly over himself and had his legs close to his body. He was so used to sleeping in a ball that it came naturally, the only difference this time being that he wasn't _forced_ to be like that, and the fresh air that constantly filled his lungs. Unfortunately, he had been more sleepy by the fire, now lying awake and listening to the soft rolls of the ocean. It didn't seem like Toru was having the same problem as his chest rose and fell with slow, dragging breaths.

He tried mimicking the motions, the same breathing pattern that even came with bending. His mind was just too restless for it. It was clear like glass - not hazed like it had been back in the prison - and every thought that came through remained unmarred when it surfaced. Thoughts of a schedule that didn't exist, hopeless impossibilities, destinations, and even plans for the future. Each one came with the constant loom of "destiny", something Ren struggled to not believe in, and even the prospect of living like a nameless hermit was abolished.

His destiny was to save the world and restore balance. The war was over - the world didn't _need_ saving when there wasn't a fight going on. As far as he could tell, things actually were balanced, just in the wrong direction. If only they had killed him off, then this could've been someone else's destiny and not his. Was it really such a big deal to keep him alive in the first place? If they killed him and the Avatar after, then the new one would be born into the Fire Nation; a natural ally to the cause.

 

Even he doubted that, and he was the pessimistic type.

 

Toru cut through his thoughts suddenly, jerking him back into the present. "Earlier," he started by saying, still sprawled on his back and staring up at a star-filled sky, "you did some pretty amazing things. Waterbending is cool and all, but then you went and did earthbending at the same time... Never seen anything like that before."

The brunet titled his head as he squinted up at the same sky. "I...did..?"

"Yeah. Don't you remember?"

"Not really... I just remember getting tackled and then being out in the middle of the ocean."

A bout of silence fell over them - again - yet this time it wasn't out of suspicion or doubt, or anything truly negative. It was more like a confused type of curiosity. The rolls of the ocean knocked gently against the bow of the boat, a sign of high tide rolling in. Thankfully they had pulled the boat up pretty far beforehand, so the waves that did hit it were just the bigger ones when they hit the shore. It was soothing, rocking like a mother would with her small child.

The raven grunted and stretched his arms out in front of him. He proceeded to explain the happenings during Ren's blackout, about how the teen had split the earth, controlled a swirling vortex of water, bent the current and protected them with a bubble. How, at one point, that mysterious Avatar state seemed to falter yet held out all the way past the Gates of Azulon. It was like being told the tales of an epic, the effect lessened by the lack of glowing fire and dancing shadows. 

In return, Ren let out a small whistle, tucking his chin to his chest and letting his eyelid lull heavily. "Hard to believe that... That _I_ did that.." he admitted quietly. 

This response actually triggered a more physical reaction in Toru. He sat up, looking over his shoulder with wide eyes. Thanks to the bright relfection of the moon, his surprise was clear. "What do you mean?" the raven pressed, "You're the Avatar, so of course _you_ did it. There's no one else even remotely capable of something like that. What's with you, Ren? I figured you'd be flaunting your title or talking about destiny and peace, and all that stuff."

"You don't know me enough to "figure" anything.." Ren found himself answering, tone almost hurt and bitter. The aggression wasn't pointed towards the other, instead directed more inward. He knew Toru was right, that he actually _should've_ been flaunting. That way he could enstill a sense of hope in those who have given up and get a crew together for his ultimate comeback. Establishing peace and freeing the world was all placed on him. It was his destiny according to history, it was his DUTY according to everything else.  
But he didn't want it.

Leaving it at that, he rolled over onto his side and squeezed his eyes shut. Even when Toru called out to him again, he refused to answer.

**~#~#~**


	12. Chapter 12

Come early morning, the little lifeboat was already on its way, leaving nothing more than an impression in the sand. Conversation was scarce, practically nonexistent as they traversed the coast line. Thankfully, a light fog covered the passing beaches due to the early morning humidity. That made the creation of a thicker, blanketing cover so much easier; a small, singular vessel was impossible to make out along the water. Rowed along by oars and the occasional push from waterbending, it seemed like the main plan was to follow the archipelago of the Fire Nation all the way out to open ocean.

A few stops would have to be made before hand, all of which to gather the resources to _survive_ such a trek, however there were plenty of islands along the way. The passengers would wait it out for as long as possible.

**.**

"We should get out of this prison garb," Toru suggested, tugging on the hem of his dull shirt, "We stand out too much, especially if we land some place."

Nodding, Ren silently agreed with him. They would have to land at some point or other, whether it be for bathroom breaks or hunkering down for the night. If anyone saw them as they were, it'd be a little too obvious that they weren't supposed to be running around. At the same time, their only option would be to steal clothes from some unsuspecting soul. While it wasn't the best option morally, it was the only option with practicality. Drifting their vessel closer to the shore, Ren carefully lessened the weight of their foggy cover. 

As it was right now, they were passing a small, grassy penninsula. There was a singular house standing at about three whole stories that had been built there, along with a few fields and a ruby red barn. Smoke was drifting from the chimney in thick, rolling black plumes, so the resident must've been home. Strung out in lines near the back end of the fields were all sorts of clothing, belonging maybe to whoever might've lived or even worked there. The wind blew against them to dry them out, however there was too much of a risk of getting caught.

They were about to row themselves further away when, by a stroke of luck, an older man exited the house. He looked around a bit at first, like he was remembering what had been his purpose of coming out in the first place. Toru rowed the boat closer to the penninsula's point and the two kept themselves ducked down. That's when the man began to whistle a tune and leave his lot. There was a sack now tucked under his arm, so the best guess was that he was heading inland to sell it.

There may have been more than one person living there at the time. However, since it was on a farm and there was no one tending to the fields, it was safe to assume that it was just the man living there at the moment; his family may have been in the town they couldn't see. To solidfy this theory, the smoke from his chimney began to turn lighter in color, until it eventually disipated into the cool air.

The penninsula had jagged rocks along its sides and point, with no soft beach to dock at. It wasn't a problem for the waterbender, who just about froze the boat to a rock with a thick strand of ice acting as a tether. So began the mild climb up to the grassy field, then the near-excited charge to the clotheslines.

**. .**

All of a sudden, Toru was a massive help in the art of camoflauge. He knew what the common Fire Nation citizen dressed like, so when Ren _thought_ he found something to wear - a long, oddly greenish-brown colored pair of pants - the raven spared him from all suspicions it would bring and put it back on the line. "Look for dull reds," he said, "Layers are good, too, if you can."

They ended up moving much more slowly than they first intended to. Thanks to Toru's "expertise", the waterbender was beginning to blend in bit by bit with the Fire Nation culture. His burgundy pants, ripped and stained along the bottom, were traded for a baggy pair of mid-shin length, dark gray ones; his worn down flats were exchanged for a - at first smelly, probably belonging to another person who never took them off - set of sandals found in pile of dirty accessories that were waiting to be cleaned; the dull maroon shirt was replaced by a black, short sleeved shirt with white trim on the sleeves that he tucked into the waist of his pants, layered with a red sleeveless shirt with tiny black buttons in the middle that he kept untucked. 

His wrists gave away his life of imprisonment with its raw colored exposure, bruises, and scabbing marks from it digging so deeply into his skin. After digging around in that _foul_ smelling accessory pile, he found a set of stiff, blood red fabric cuffs that matched with his shirt. It ended up working better than he thought, and it was so much nicer to be in clothes that weren't intended for an inmate. Sure, some of it was smelling, and every time his arms passed near his face it made him want to gag, but that would go away with time.

 

Toru had better luck blending in, proving to be much mor picky with what he chose. Instead of sandals, he went with this pair of boot-like shoes with slightly upward-pointed tips, that were a deep maroon color and had a sunflower-ish gold stripe down the front; the pants he went with were baggy like Ren's, but a warmer earthy brown and tucked into the tops of his boots; his upper layers went together better than Ren's did, using a red kimono-styled top with gold trim and topping it with a far more appropriate, long black vest that reached just above the middle of his thighs. As a final, accessorizing touch, he tied a dark red, thick fabric around his waist and tucked the end of it in the front, thereby creating a sort of fashionable belt over his shirt.

He actually reached up with a hand, pointing between both of their heads. "Hair is usually a big give away," the raven explained, "so we should tie it all up. Yours is pretty long all around, so--"

"HEY!"

The old man had returned from the town inland. It looked as if he had brought his family back with him, and most of them looked like they could fight hand-to-hand with a boar-q-pine and _win_. Both benders swallowed the lumps in their throats, first communicating with their eyes then with a singular shout of "RUN!"

Apparently the male members of the old man's family were avid runners because they charged with everything they had. The two were chased all the way to the end of the penninsula, where even then their pursuers wouldn't slow down. Toru appeared reluctant as he looked over his shoulder, jaw clenched in _some_ sort of preparation. It was soon made clear when he started chattering in a panic, "Water water water!!"

Ren almost burst out laughing. Without even skipping a beat, they lept off the edge of the rugged point for the open expanse of ocean. He moved his arm in a small, compact circular motion a few times before bringing it upward, fingers pressed together. A twisted screw-shaped stream of water rose up to catch them, acting more fluid than the one he made back at the Black Cliffs. Their fall wasn't as far down or as quick, so it didn't take much to slow them down. They remained at the top of the stream with their heads to the air as it receded back into the mild waters. 

The old man and his family were at the edge, mouths agape in disbelief; one of them even had to go so far as to rub his eyes. Before they remembered to pursue or shout at them for being hooligans, Toru and Ren were already sailing away from the little island on their lifeboat, moved by oars but, mostly, the pushes of the water. It was a great way to commemorate the beginning of their disguises, however now they would have to avoid that general area.

**~#~#~**

By late evening, their boat came onto the shore of yet another island. Its most notable feature happened to be a rocky, dusty mountain with a flat top, protruding from the land while the rest remained smooth and flat. There were lush green trees considerably close to the beach, setting up the perfect place to spend the night. Hopping out into the sand, Ren and Toru got to work with pulling their boat inland. Leaving it behind a tree before covering it in a layer of thick undergrowth, they migrated further inward themselves. 

"There's probably a village or two here," Toru was saying as they picked their way along. "If we had some money, we could probably stay at an inn instead."

Money was another problem entirely. Ren looked over his shoulder with an expression that spoke volumes about his distress towards the subject; how were they supposed to get money when they were on the run? Were they going to steal it? The raven shrugged his shoulders as if to say "what can you do, right?" Whatever the case may be, a part of the forest opened into a compact clearing, hidden from prying eyes and protected from any weather that may be thrown at them. That's where they settled down as the evening turned to dusk, dusk turned to night.

 

A warm fire crackled in the center. Shadows danced around the woods like people did, never moving and always to a nameless tune. It was mesmerizing to watch since the moon wasn't able to filter down and wash them away with its glow. Ren pulled his legs to his chest as he looked around, taking in the sights that were so different from the last two places he had slept in; one being the prison, the other being the Black Cliffs. Despite the dark, so many things continued to scurry around. Most of the sounds came from heavier sources - nocturnal creatures, as opposed to nocturnal insects. He should've been scared of getting jumped by some wild predator, however he was actually a bit curious to see just what was out there. Maybe that was the more childish side to him.

Eventually turning his attention back to his fire-side companion, he took a moment to look him over. Their height difference hadn't been super dramatic - just a few inches, really - but it was almost obvious just how different their _origins_ were in appearance alone. Where Ren had a light brown skin tone, Toru had a much paler complexion; where Ren had roundish, blue eyes, Toru had sharper, blended eyes of a rust red and amber; deep brown hair to black hair, so on and so forth. Toru was stronger in comparison, too, and fairly well-built. He had been in the navy, the details of which made sense when looking over his body.

"Where did you come from?" Ren suddenly asked, "Were you born in the Fire Nation or elsewhere?"

This had Toru looking up from his dazed stare into the flames. He seemed to think about it at first, wondering if he should even bother with personal stories or backgrounds. It made sense; they didn't _need_ to know anything about each other. For all either of them knew, they'd be splitting up again once given the chance. Still, the raven ended up letting out a sigh and crossed his legs underneath him. "I was born in the capital," he explained with an indifferent tone, "You had to generally be of nobility to be there, but my dad had earned Phoenix King Ozai's - Fire Lord Ozai, at the time - favor with his triumphs in the war. Been there my entire life, really, except when I joined the navy and eventually left to be a pirate, like I told you before."

"Oh.. Did you have any siblings?"

"A little brother," came the bitter, rather thick response. "Tatsuo.. Probably sixteen now.."

They didn't have a wall between them anymore. There were no cemented bricks, bars, or exhaustion to hide _anything._ Ren could feel the ache that rolled off of the raven, watching his expression scrunch up with guilt, anger, sorrow, and so many more emotions that came at once. It was obvious that Toru still loved his little brother, that he probably would've preferred to be with him than anything else in the world. Leaving, it seemed, haunted him whenever it came to Tatsuo. 

It just goes to show how one's own choices can hurt them right back, as well as those around them. Ren wanted to move past the topic, for the firebender's sake more than his own. Even if it meant spilling the details about himself. He scratched at his jaw absentmindedly and looked at the fire now. "I'm from the Southern Water Tribe," the teen began to explain, "or what's left of it.. We used to be small before, but when the war ended we shrunk even more. People moved away, I guess. I don't know, I had just barely been born. I didn't get to do anything before I was locked away, so I'm a little jealous that you got to experience stuff."

Toru barked out a laugh, "Really? It wasn't fun in the slightest. Keep in mind that, to start with, I'm older than you, and I wasn't under such extreme arrest as you were."

"Older than me?" he returned with a smile, "What are you? Twenty-five?"

"Twenty."

"I'm seventeen, I think."

"How do you not know your own age??"

"I was born in a land of ice, Toru, everything looks the same for all seasons. It was late fall-early winter."

The raven's face became a little more stern as he leaned forward. With an eyebrow arching, he spoke in a lower tone. "But really, how long were you locked up for?"

The smile became thin and forced on the other's features. Ren answered, "I was fifteen when they took me."

With the jovial, friendly mood now ruined, the silence took over. The bugs droned each other out and the rustling finally stopped. It seemed like as good of a time as any to go to bed. Ren let out a sigh as he began to lie down, using his arms as a pillow. He was about to drop a friendly "good night" this time instead of just being completely anti-social like last night, however everything took a sudden turn. Toru sprung to his feet, lifting his hands as if ready to attack. "Who's there?" he growled threateningly, "Come out where I can see you."

He hadn't even noticed that there was someone else out there with them. They weren't running back to the boat yet, so he could only assume that whoever Toru picked up on was alone, and far from a soldier sent to recapture them. Still, the brunet got up as well, kneeling down with his fist clenched over his knee. From the darkness came a hunched, frail form draped in a dull brown shawl and grayish, reddish brown robed layers. Silver hair was pulled up behind a brass, ornamenting headpiece while small, shrivled eyes stared back at the two.

 

An elderly woman now stood in their presence, the dancing shadows of the fire making her seem far more menacing than she actually was. Of course, you could never be too careful, so neither Ren nor Toru let their guard down. Her thin lips curled upward in a small, sweet smile, turning her head to look at the tense firebender. "I didn't mean to startle you," she proceeded to apologize, voice raspy and grating, "I was just curious as to who would be out here so late in the night.." Expectingly, her gray eyes flicked to Ren, wanting to hear him rather than the young man who was still primed and ready to give her a new burn.

So, he reached out partially and waved Toru off, standing up before her. "We're...travelers," Ren hesitantly answered. It felt weird to lie so soon after his escape, especially when he knew virtually nothing about where he was or what was considered normal. As Toru lightened his stance he shot over a quick, rather pleading look. "We were just settling down for the night."

"So close to the full moon?" she pressed, approaching Ren as she tucked her hands into her sleeves. Her tone screamed concern, like they were making a horrible choice.

He, in turn, pressed for an explanation. "What do you mean?"

"You're travelers, so I guess you wouldn't know.. People disappear in these woods all the time. Back in the village, we believe that a _moon monster_ takes them away during the full moon. With it being so close to the time, I don't believe it to be safe.. Even for healthy young men like yourselves."

That's when Toru cut in, standing between the elderly woman and Ren. "We'll continue on our way then," he decided, glancing to see if the other agreed. To which he nodded, and was about to make good work of kicking out the fire so they could move on. It didn't matter whether or not they _believed_ in her claims; they needed to avoid suspicion, so moving on would be the best course of action.

To their jointed surprise, she shook her head and raised her hand. "Please," the woman began to say, "I own an inn that's a short walk off. You two can stay for the night, gather supplies in the morning for your journey."

Ren, moved by her kindness, couldn't keep from smiling. He bowed respectfully - always respect your elders, right? - to her, causing her to give a slight, gentle chuckle of amazement at him. Guess nice kids were rare to come by. Straightening up again, it was Toru's turn to look distressed, but even he seemed to understand the sheer magnitude of _luck_ that had been bestowed upon them. It was bound to run out eventually, so it was better to take advantage of it while they still could. "Thank you," he said, giving a slight bow of his own, "we would be honored."

 

They followed her and her little lantern out of the trees, where the dirt turned to hard stone under their feet. Off in the distance was a tall, pagoda styled inn with a few of its lights lit and smoke rolling from the chimney stacks. Toru introduced them as Wei and Jin Lee, cousins that were traveling the Fire Nation together. She seemed tickled by this information, lifting her lantern light higher once they came to a set of stone steps. "I'll be happy to have you, Wei and Jin," said the woman, "It's been quite a while since I've had such spry young men staying."

Ren felt a little bad for taking advantage of her sincere hospitality. He confessed with an awkward couch, "We don't have money, so is there any way we could help you around the place?"

She peered over her shoulder with such a dazzling, overjoyed smile. "Oh, I figured.. Jin, was it?"  
He nodded when she paused, confirming that he was, in fact, Jin.  
"Otherwise you two wouldn't have been sitting there with nothing else on you.. Do whatever you'd like, I don't mind either way if you help me or don't. It'll just be nice to have company."

They passed a field of red flowers, practically glowing a gentle rose color in the light of the moon. It was so amazing to look at; it was probably going to be even BETTER come the morning. The inn was just beside it on a small, stone rise. Beyond that was the rest of a quaint village, cast in the shadow of the singular mountain. Everyone else but them happened to be asleep.

Toru spurred forward a little bit, leaning into the woman's line of sight. "What's your name, ma'am?" he asked.

Her smile didn't falter one bit as they made their way up to the front of the inn. "I'm Hama."


	13. Chapter 13

In the morning, before Toru was up and while Hama was in the kitchen, Ren took himself outside. The inn was a little secluded from the rest of the village. This was perhaps due to the scale of it or because of the insane view. Filling a large field perhaps as big as the mountain itself were these vibrantly red lilies. Take that, plus the lush forest green of the nearby treetops and the dusty brown stone of the mountain, and together you had such a beautiful image. It was like the life in prison had been a nightmare; this was the crystal clear reality.

It stood to as an anomaly. The Fire Nation destroyed, the Fire Nation held an imperial reign over the world. If anyone spoke of the Fire Nation, they only spoke ill. Something as beautiful as this field couldn't exist without bearing some kind of negative connotation. At least, that's what he had initially believed. If the Avatar was to protect people and peace, maybe everything else could reach the state of that very field. He didn't like being the hero everyone had long since placed on a pedestal, and he _hated_ the immense pressure that came with the title alone. For a view like this, maybe it would be worth it.

 

"You're so young," chimed a voice that startled him from his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder as Hama came to stand beside him, face to the sun and her eyes blissfully closed. "Nothing should trouble you this much, Jin, dear."

Ren forced out a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. Distracted, he had completely missed out on the sounds of her feet scuffling against the stone. For an old woman, Hama was considerably quiet and full of life. Sure, she had duties to tend to and that was why she got to work in the morning hours of the day, but even then, she seemed content with everything going on around her. Eventually getting over his initial surprise, the brunet nodded. "I guess so," he agreed, "I might be easily stressed, now that I think about it."

She turned to him and reached out, gathering his hands up into her own. Though her skin practically sagged off her frail limbs, it was soft, and was warm as she pat against the top of his own hands. "You'll do fine in life," Hama made to reassure him, "I know that, some day, you'll be happy and stress free! Just look at me; I've seen everything as far as the horizon, yet I can live like this without any worries." Though she didn't know the nature of his stress, that didn't mean it was completely useless in making him feel better. 

Returning her careful grip, he bowed his head to her. "Thank you, Hama.. I appreciate it."

 

When Toru woke up, both Hama and Ren had a proposition for him. If they stayed one more night, she would make a special meal that they could completely refuel with. They could go out with her to pick out some necessities for their "wonderful adventure", as she called it. Hama's hospitality didn't stop there either, because she even went so far as to offer paying for the expenses. He was, as expected, hesitant. Staying longer just meant more time for the Fire Nation to pick up on their trail. One more night would always turn into two; as soon as one of them got comfortable, that would be it. No one was going to be leaving.

Unable to find the words otherwise, he gave in. In the afternoon, they went out to the village and wandered around.

**.**

While Hama was shopping for produce from one of the vendors, the two benders explored a little bit. Though they didn't say much in the way of conversation, tension was quick to build up. Ren stopped in his tracks in the middle of a branching road and spun around, expression contorted with annoyance. "What?" he snapped, "What's your problem?"

The raven stopped as well, and while he _did_ seem surprised by the outburst, his lack of denial said that he had been expecting it. He lowered his voice, taking a step closer that had Ren taking a half-step back. "We need to leave in the morning," Toru insisted, following up quickly when he noticed that the teen was about to fight it. "By staying here, we lose whatever lead we have and the Fire Nation will be able to track us again. Hama is great and all, but you have to _consider_ things. You don't know what you're going to do next, and I don't know if I want to stick around."

Ren furrowed his brow. "You could've left already. You know that, right? You don't have to stay."

"Look, kid, I don't want to fight you on this. I helped because, at the time, I felt like it. Now I've got an obligation to San and Big to stick through until I know that you're not going to screw everything up."

It was a step too far. The very _last_ thing that Ren needed was more pressure, more guilt to wash down the pre-existing guilt of leaving his home. He was a kid; he supposed to mess things up! Thanks to predetermined destiny and all of that, it didn't even matter if he was young, because now he wasn't _allowed_ to make a mistake.  
Did a second ever go by when he _didn't_ remind himself of everything that was on his shoulders? No, but hearing it from someone else's lips just made him feel like less than the dust on his sandals. His fists clenched at his sides and he took one provoked step closer, almost chest-to-chest with the raven. "Don't go babysitting me," his voice spilled past his teeth, "when I could probably kick your ass."

In hindsight, he didn't mean any of it. Whether or not Toru considered himself a friend didn't matter, because the brunet didn't want to let him go; or, in this case, push him away. Ren couldn't stop from seething with anger and frustration, pent up in an angsty teenager that didn't have a way to get rid of it. Toru didn't look ready to back down from his position, though he did have a sort of fear nestled in his eyes. Now the brunet was the one that went too far, and still he kept rolling with it. He couldn't stop no matter how much he wanted to.

"You think I don't know how absolutely screwed I am?" Ren demanded, every word dripping with newfound hatred towards everything - though not exactly towards the victim of his emotions' wrath, "You think I don't realize that I'm only here because you "felt" like helping me, or because two people who deserved to be free gave everything up?! I get it, so don't go spouting your obligatory garbage at me, when _you're_ not the one with his destiny already determined by some stupid cosmic force!"

A brown, ceramic pot a yard away by the front door of someone's house suddenly shattered. Both Ren and Toru, caught in their argument, were jolted back to reality, whipping around to look at the source with widened eyes. The water that had been contained within it was now spilled all over the stone, becoming thick as it mixed with dust. The townspeople were only briefly shaken from their state of existence and deemed the incident as bad luck; they continued like it was nothing. But Ren... Ren was now more ashamed of himself than he had been when he was pointlessly attacking someone that didn't deserve it. Tucking his head down, he turned on his heel and just about stomped away from the other.

 

And right into Hama, who was looking up at him with worried, beady gray eyes. "Jin, dear..?" she called softly to him, "Everything alright? You look like you're about to cry.."

"I'm..." He choked on his own saliva, lifting a hand to dismiss the concern while he covered his mouth with the back of the other hand. "I'm fine, just... Missing home, I guess.."  
It wasn't a total lie, either. The character 'Jin' he was playing as now had the nearly-scripted demeanor of a doubtful, homesick child. He was on a journey with a cousin a couple of years older than him, and the pressure of being in a new area brought him to a very emotional brink. Hama believed him without any suspicions when he answered her, instead putting a hand on his arm. Her woven basket, filled with all sorts of produce and wrapped meats, sat unbothered on the ground.

She had to have been a grandmother, or, if nothing else, a mother, because her voice came out in soothing coos. Ren wanted to glance back at Toru, to see if he was having a similar thought. He decided against it on the grounds that the look he'd receive in return was going to be cold. It was time to head back; Hama had everything she needed. Toru carried her basket to inn and struck up a casual - yet equally monotone - conversation with her. Ren opted for staying in the rear of the group, fist clenched so tightly at his side that he actually worried it might shatter like the pot had.


	14. Chapter 14

Slowly but surely, throughout the course of the day, Hama was no longer appearing to be a simple old woman. She was nice, she was gentle, and she worked alone; this was typical of an elderly innkeeper. As dinner time came closer, however, her movements became more...curious. 

Ren couldn't sit still in his designated room like Toru could, so he wandered around. He found a bunch of quaint rooms and the occasional cabinet in the hall for storing linens. Nothing too suspicious or unusual. There was a cabinet that had been cracked open a bit, which he tried to close all the way, but the string puppets inside had him prodding for a bit longer than he meant to.

The only reason he stopped was because of the smell wafting up from the kitchen on the first floor. It was nostalgic, reminding him of all the reasons why he loved the idea of a place he could call "home". His feet dragged across the wood floor, his nose pointed to the air, all while his mind ran for the hills. If he closed his eyes, the South Pole appeared in front of him; shining snow in the later hours of the evening, fires releasing plumes of smoke that often smelled of seal jerky. The occasional child that went running after their pet polar dog - not to be confused with polar BEAR dog, as he had done when he was younger. 

It was a sight for sore, tired eyes. Eventually Ren snapped out of his daze. He stood in the threshold leading into the kitchen, watching Hama's back as she worked to stir a boiling pot. Whatever the contents in the pot were, they happened to be the source of his daydream. He started for the kitchen counter and leaned into her sight. "What're you making?" he asked.

_That_ was when she started to act weird. Hama whirled around far faster than a woman her age should've been able to, her eyes wide and her body going stiff. "Oh, Jin, dear!" she exclaimed, "You startled me..!" After his apology, she tried to send him elsewhere; even going so far as to push at his side. Despite his curiosity, the woman continued to insist, "Dinner isn't quite ready, so why don't you go outside for some fresh air? Or I have a book you can read."

"I'm fine, Hama, I was just wondering what you were making-"

"Actually, could you get me a pale of water from the well in town?"

She made it quite clear that there was no answer waiting for him. So, he made himself busy and got her that pale of water. Each time Ren tried to see what she was doing, the woman would only brush him off. It got to the point where Hama no longer allowed entry into the kitchen until dinnertime; he was, essentially, banished from the entire room.

**~#~**

It was completely out of his own control. While seated at the table, eagerly awaiting the meal Hama had kept so secretive, Ren's stomach roared like a bear. Poor Toru was in the middle of rubbing his sleepy eyes when it happened, jumping about a foot out of his chair while nearly giving himself a black eye. For a brief moment, their scuffle of an argument in the village was forgotten, and he stared at the teen in sheer disbelief. "Was that _you _??" he gawked.__

__Embarrassed didn't even begin to describe his feelings. Rubbing the back of his neck, the rest of his face turned red. "S-sorry.." Ren hastily apologized, "I didn't mean for that to happen.." The tension came back soon after; they were back to being cousins that were upset with each other._ _

__Hama was unbothered by the stomach's cry for food, or the chill in the air from the two young men. In fact, she chuckled, and carried the wooden soup bowl to the head of the table where she sat down. "Who wants some five-flavored soup?" she asked them with a thin smile. When they both responded that they wanted some, that was the exact moment when she blew their minds and justified, without words, why all of the secrecy had been necessary. Bringing her hands over the bowl, the soup rose up in a stream; when her fingers separated, the stream split off into two even servings that splished directly into Toru and Ren's bowls._ _

__

__Toru shot up to his feet and tensed like he was ready for battle while Ren, meanwhile, was staring in utter disbelief at the settling soup in front of him. He could understand the raven's concerns, how "soup bending" was incredibly suspicious and potentially threatening. At the same time, it was hard to process. They were in a Fire Nation village about half of the world away from the North Pole; to expose oneself like that meant they were willing to risk imprisonment or believed they'd be okay. Whatever the case may have been, there was the one crucial detail that just _needed_ to be said out loud. Ren turned partially in his chair to face her, the elderly woman who was waiting expectantly for him to speak first, and let his jaw drop to the table. "You're... You're a waterbender..?" he asked her in a voice that was barely more than a whisper._ _

__She lowered her head slowly in a nod, putting her hands together in her lap. "A waterbender," Hama confirmed in an equally soft breath, "from the Southern Water Tribe... Just like you, Jin."_ _

This was a sudden, abrupt turn of events. The old woman that had been housing two escaped prisoners, had extended unmeasurable amounts of kindness to them, and was now treating them to a home cooked meal, came from a group of people that was all but wiped out. Fire Nation raids a long time ago were made to eliminate the waterbenders of the South Pole and, in turn, limit resistance during the Hundred Year War. There was nothing to gain otherwise from attacking. Up until recently, the Fire Nation had ignored the small, broken nation. Something changed and they began again, searching for a person that would ruin everything.

It seemed that Toru was at a lost, unsure as to whether or not he needed to _stay_ on guard. He was suspicious of Hama too, because he asked, "How would you know where he's from?"

"I was listening to you two talk around your campfire.. Sorry for eavesdropping, Wei."

Eventually he sat back down again and continued to stare pointedly at the woman. Opposite to him, however, Ren was only just beginning to fully process everything. As far as he knew, he had been the only waterbender in the whole South Pole; everyone else was gone, dead, or whatever it was that _made_ a waterbender had disappeared from the blood of the Southern Water Tribe. Yet here someone was, just as old as the oldest elder back in the village, capable of bending water. He put his hands palm-down on the table and leaned forward, struggling to lift his voice. "I'm... I've never met another waterbender before, much less from our tribe."

Hama smiled sadly at him, reaching out to touch his forarm. "A young waterbender like you.." she murmured as if to repeat the information back to herself. It seemed she only knew of his origins, much less what he could do. However, there was this brief glint of recognition in her eyes, and she probably connected the exploding pot of water with his earlier outburst. She shook her head then and said, "I'm just so glad that there was another one. I feared we would lose waterbending - a piece of our culture - all together."

His confusion was written on his face. Initially, he didn't know what she meant - had waterbending died out? Was he an outlier in the gene pool? Then history spoke for itself and his heart broke; as did Hama's, as she began to tell the story of what had befallen their tribe over seventy-eight years ago.

 

The Fire Nation raids were something he already knew about, his understanding only amplified after the scholar from the North washed up and an entire warship came to take Ren away from his home. A few miles away from the tribe itself was this older warship, pushed up and trapped in jagged juts of ice. It served as the memory of the raids, and also the nightmare that had befallen a once thriving city of people. The more Hama spoke, the more he ached from the loss.

She, like him, was ripped away from the South Pole. It appeared as if he had been lucky, because the prison he had been locked away in _didn't_ pump in dry hair or suspend him up over the ground. He had been grounded - the very definition, really - and didn't have to breathe in air that hurt. His crime wasn't a mark of his people, but a mark of the universe; their reasons for imprisonment had been different. When Hama got to the details of her escape, her walls came crumbling down and she began to sob, covering her face with her hands.

Who had she left behind, as he did? Whose faces haunted her and whose voices blamed her for abandoning them? How many times did her home appear to her in the form of a restless dream or illusion of the day?

This time, Ren did the comforting, rising from his chair to stand at her side. He put a ginger hand on her shoulder and let her become his sole focus; the soup was gone, the firebender was gone, the room was a distraction. It felt like Hama was a part of him, just older and more saddened by the things she went through. For a moment, the brunet felt terrible for causing her to remember a painful memory. Still she turned towards him with a near-desperate grip on his hand. 

"Our tribe..." he found himself saying, "It's almost gone now.. When the war ended, the men that had left to fight - including the chief at the time, I think his name was Hakoda - came back home. Chief Hakoda decided that it would be best if we moved away from the water and further inland, so that if the Fire Nation decided that they wanted to come back, we'd be a bit harder to reach. The move would be worth it, we'd be safe.

"Not everyone agreed. Everyone was so divided with each other that...that the tribe split apart. Chief Hakoda took what remained of his family, as well as half of the tribe, and moved somewhere deeper into the snow, away from the water. My parents stayed where they were because I had just been born.." Ren paused, lost in a realm of thoughts that had not passed his mind since he was eight. So, Hama prodded for details, desperate, it seemed, to know what had befallen the home she left behind. He shook his head and offered a small smile, going on to say, "We've lost contact with them, but on a windy day you can sometimes smell the smoke of a campfire. They're okay."

She let out a breath of relief, hanging her head and running her hand multiple times over the one on her shoulder. "What a relief..." the woman muttered.

 

Ren didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. He wasn't able to tell her about how the Fire Nation came back when he was about five years old or how they tore through the village for answers. They knew another waterbender was out there somewhere - at the time, Ren still bore no signs of bending at all - and set out through the snow for that second group. Ever since, the wind never carried that familiar scent of a campfire, and all ties were completely severred. Some people went out to help them rebuild what they had lost, yet they returned with grim expressions.

No one spoke about what had happened except on one occasion, during a vigil Chief Yosko held for their lost brethern. People whispered among themselves something Ren couldn't forget, something that painted a snow blown image in his head; how ice was spiked unnaturally from the snow and how Chief Hakoda was found protecting the body of his teenage daughter with his own. They, like everyone else that had moved, were part of the snow now. Not everyone was found, either, as the numbers just didn't add up. It was boiled down to the painfully bitter reality that the young men that weren't killed were taken away, doomed to work as fuel for the Fire Nation's colonies.

 

"I know you need to leave," Hama suddenly said, cutting through his thoughts like a knife, "but, if you could spare another day, I would like to teach you the ways of waterbending passed down through the Southern Water Tribe. That way it can still live after I'm gone."

In the corner of his eye, Toru grew tense, but the brunet didn't care what he was thinking. Eager, excited, and totally oblivious to their lack of time, Ren lit up like the southern lights themselves. "Yes..!" he gushed, "Yes, absolutely, I would be honored!" His decision came from a number of things, not just the offer itself. It was a piece of his people, a way to connect them that no one else had. Southern waterbending disappeared completely once Ren was taken away; the only form of bending that remained at all was Zaken, who came from the North. If there was a way to give himself a piece of home that no longer existed, then he wanted it; never mind Toru or the rest of the world, he _needed_ this.


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, the "outsider" was left to his own devices while the two waterbenders went out for a little stroll. Hama seemed to have a pep in her step when she walked, smiling as she hummed a simple tune. Right next to her was the happiest boy this side of the hemisphere. Pure elation just about made Ren float on his toes, the biggest smile pulled so widely across his face that the muscles in his cheeks began to hurt in seconds. He hadn't smiled much since leaving the Fire Nation capital, and now it was like a power he couldn't control. Whatever tune Hama was humming was unfamiliar, yet Ren almost tried to join.  
He had never been so happy.

Everything with Toru felt forced, like neither party wanted anything to do with the other. Admittedly, Ren thought himself dependent on the firebender's existence; they escaped together, they were _stuck_ together. Having another person there after losing everything else proved to be a lifeline in his case, so it was hard to break away - no matter how briefly they had been traveling for. So, having Hama, who was easier to talk to and who understood him more, was a much needed change. As they approached the field of the most brilliant flowers ever to bloom in the history of forever, Ren found that words flew from his mouth with ease.

"I was locked away in the Fire Nation's capital prison," he was saying, "and couldn't move. They fed me food, they gave me water, but never enough of it. I mean, it was only for two years.. You probably had it worse, huh?"

She would respond simply, unbothered by his seemingly arrogant remarks about the state of his imprisonment. "Yes, but I was still surrounded by my own people." A wave of her hand encouraged him to continue, her smile showed that she was happy to listen. Had the truth of his identity not been such a controversal thing, Ren might've been _too_ willing to tell her about being the Avatar.

"Toru-" They exchanged their real names that same morning. "-helped me escape, along with a few other people. He was in the Fire Nation navy before getting arrested so he knew the layout and where to go. We lost the other inmates, had what felt like the whole army to face, and he needed to get this stupid little lifeboat off of a warship..!"

"Oh, my, that sounds exciting!"

"I guess it was, but to be honest... I felt useless even though I had an entire body of water to use," Ren confessed as they came to a stop in the center of the flowering field. She looked at him, thoughtful, and didn't pester him to continue or focus on what she was about to do. All Hama seemed to care about was letting this troubled child get his words out of his mouth. And he did, lowering his head in defeat. "I get that it was the Fire Nation in their own territory, and I get that I'm not going to be super powerful after escaping a bunch of chains, but there was so much water that I should've been able to use.. If I hadn't gone--"  
He bit his lip, cutting himself off from nearly revealing something a little too big for the time.  
"It had been luck that we made it this far.."

 

Hama nodded and gave him a comforting pat on the arm. "You did well to get here," she reassured him, "and had the circumstances been different, you would've done better. To stand against an unyielding force with nothing but your own abilities just shows that you have the potential to be a true master. However, there is something important you must never forget. If you do, as a waterbender you will have made a potentially fatal mistake. It doesn't matter how much water you have, Ren, it's how you _use_ it." Her hand snapped out in front of her, the rest of her body losing the fragility of an elderly woman. As Hama moved her hand around over the top of her head and gathered scarce, but undoubtedly full droplets of water over her fingers, the form of her movements made it seem like there still existed this amazing strength in her core. Yes, she was older, but by waterbending it made her seem so much more youthful.

The water turned to ice, Hama opening and closing her hand to show just what she was able to accomplish. "Water exists everywhere there is life," she told him, "In oceans, rivers, and lakes - you know this - but also in plants, and the air we breathe. You can learn to use it all in ways that could some day save you." Case in point, she reeled back, the ice cased over her pointed fingertips flying off until they pierced the trunk of a tree a few yards away.

It was the coolest display of waterbending Ren had ever seen. So began their lessons, and he learned rather quickly that the flowers - fire lilies, she called them, that only bloomed for a couple of weeks each year - were mere casualities for survival. Hama ripped the water from them, turning the patch beneath her feet a deathly black before bending the water into the side of a large stone. Each stream that came into contact with something so sturdy was just a new path that cut straight through, until the cleanly split pieces fell into the grass.

Like a diligent student who was eager to learn, the brunet followed her examples again and again, getting used to the motions of extracting water from one place and focusing it as an extension of himself. Hama voiced her approval a few times over and stood next to him, smiling as if she had never been more proud. Then, he looked at his feet, and each of the places he had been standing before. Ren spoke in barely more than a whisper, "Wow, I didn't even notice..."

Black patches covered the immediate area, interrupted by the scarce lily that still managed to stand tall. It just went to show how much power a waterbender could have; with the right technique, nothing was free from being manipulated. "It's a good lesson," he told her, "about moderation.. You can't take too much, or else the plants will all die."

"They're just flowers," Hama argued with a dismissive shake of the head, "They aren't worth the concern if they're your only choice in an unfamilair place."

While she did have a very, _very_ valid point, Ren couldn't keep from feeling guilty for the death he had caused. Plants or not, they were dead now, all because the water was taken away. He continued to think that it was a good lesson in the art of waterbending, given that he could barely remember whatever it was Zaken had spouted those two years ago, up until Hama threw a curveball at him. "Tonight, I'm going to teach you the ultimate form of waterbending. It can only be done under the full moon, when waterbenders are at their strongest."

His face lit up at the decision. Forget the lilies, this was a big deal! He would get to learn a Southern bending technique that no one else knew about except the waterbenders that had come before him. Considering how both he and Hama had merely _managed_ to escape, it was probably just the two of them that would know it. Ren nodded vigorously, straightening from his slouch at the elder waterbender's height and clapping his hands together. "That'd be amazing!" he exclaimed. However, a single uncertainty crossed his mind. "But... Wait, weren't people disappearing during the full moon?"

In response, Hama scoffed, waving her hand as she started back for the inn. "Not one, but _two_ master waterbenders under the power of the full moon? I don't think we'll have anything to worry about."

It was true enough, except for one thing - and that one thing was growing oddly suspicious of everything going on.

**.**  
.  
. 

Forget Ren and Hama. Maybe he was just overthinking everything, maybe he was a little doubtful; Toru wasn't sure he trusted the old woman at all anymore. However, he wouldn't voice his concerns to Ren unless he was held at sword-point. The kid was so absorbed in himself and caught up in the rush of finding someone like him that anything Toru could say had a chance of being spun around, salted, and shoved back down his throat. He didn't want a repeat of yesterday's squabble, even if it had been his fault the first time. Be that as it may, for not caring Toru began to get himself way too involved with his suspicions. By late afternoon-early evening, when Ren and Hama had returned from the village market to prepare for dinner, he excused himself for a walk. 

The village was quick to grow silent as the sun began to lower in the horizon. They were all familiar with the curse that came during the full moon, and they wanted just as little to do with it as any sane person. Some of the villagers were still roaming about, storing everything away as if a storm was about to roll through. Toru looked around, catching the attention of one of the remaining civilians. The way they looked at him was almost desperate, pleading. Like they wanted whatever beast was behind the happenings to take him, an outsider, instead.

There was one person, however, that was just as lively as he was paranoid. They were short, old, balding and freckled from the top of their shiny head to their fingertips. He was nailing boards over his window, soon the only person left outside as the sun crept further and further down from sight. Unlike the others, he wasn't so quick to retreat, remaining diligent with his work like his life depended on those rusted nails.

Toru spoke up. "Do boards really protect you against a moon creature?"

He had taken the old man by surprise, who slammed the head of the mallet into his thumb. A colorful strand of curse words flew from his mouth as he whirled around, steam practically whistling out his ears. "You're makin fun of me now," he snapped, "but I'm not going to get caught again!"

"Again?" the raven asked. It looked like his random wandering and pointless conversation-starting skills brought him something of actual interest. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking the man over. "What do you mean again? By the creature?"

The old man squawked, waving an inflammed fist over his head, "There ain't no creature! The damn moon's got an effect on people!" He proceeded to tell Toru, who looked like barely more than a passerby, about how under the glow of the full moon a few years back, he lost all control of his limbs. The moon compelled a powerless man to walk out of the village and to the mountain that the village had set itself at the base of. A daunting chill from the cave mouth he was taken to called out, about to suck him into the darkness where he was never be found again. Dawn broke before anything more could happen, and the man was free; the only person to ever come back.

Toru didn't care. He absolutely without a doubt didn't care. Did that keep him from thanking the man for the information? No, because he was a polite young man. Did that keep him from leaving the village and tracing his way back to the beach? No, because he needed to make sure that the boat was still there for tomorrow. Did it keep him from stopping, thinking, and realizing that he had stayed out until the moon finally rose? No, because he was... He was...

He bit his lip and returned to the trees. Using a small flame in his palm like a guiding light, Toru picked his way through the undergrowth. The village was in view between all of the trees - more specifically, Hama's inn with the lights still on in the first floor. He shook out his flame and continued on, guided by the sight. That was when, under the silver glow that flittered through the tops of the trees, his entire body seized up. 

Nothing happened for a good moment. At first, the raven wondered if he had forgotten what he was doing. It wasn't uncommon, especially in a new place that wasn't super familiar, however when he tried to press onward his body refused to respond. "What the hell.." Toru hissed through his teeth. His body was definitely listening - he could practically feel the strain left in his nerves when he commanded it to move - yet it just wouldn't do as he told it. A tight, winding grip took hold of his veins; and in turn, everything else. Spinning on his heel with a sway in his step, Toru turned away from the inn, taking wild steps deeper into the woods.  
It scared him all of a sudden, because it finally dawned on him what was happening. Each step he was forced to take was bringing him in a wide sweep through the forest, now with the mountain in view.

Try as he might, there was no way to break free of the control that was forced over his body. "Ren..!" he choked out, struggling to find his voice, "Ren!!" Toru tried to shout even louder the third time but the muscles in his jaw tensed and tightened, to the point where he couldn't open his mouth at all. The night was still so early... Why was the moon controlling him now? Why _him_?!

**.**  
.  
. 

By the time Hama returned from her late night walk, the moon was already at its heighest point in the sky. Now, Ren _would've_ been tired if it hadn't been for a couple of reasons; one, Hama was going to teach him a special waterbending technique, and, two, Toru still wasn't back. He was waiting outside and tapping his foot anxiously, arms crossed over his chest as he kept a careful eye out for some sign of the firebender. Even as Hama stood next to him, the brunet was reluctant to break his concentration. 

Eventually, she spoke up. "We're burning moonlight, dear. We better get moving."

"But Toru isn't back yet, and firebenders aren't as strong during the night," he answered, "You said that we'd be fine because we're _waterbenders_ but what about him?"

The woman wasn't as bothered about it as he was. She shook her head and began to walk for the treeline just across from the inn, a gentle sway in her step. Ren had no choice but to follow her. As concerned as he was, they only had one night, one _chance_ to do this; Toru could take care of himself. Dismissing his mind of all unnecessary worries, he chased after Hama, following her out into the woods. His growing excitement made it easy to forget everything else.


	16. Chapter 16

The wind howled through the dark, ripping against the tree tops and sending a chill up a every spine of every creature. A storm may have been coming, but not in the way one would expect. The two waterbenders stood in an open clearing that was illuminated by the glow of the moon. Nothing was spoken, no one moved, yet it was impossible to deny the sensation of _power_ coursing through his veins. Ren had felt the pull of the moon every single month while he was locked away; it was the only other thing that made him feel remotely okay while the rest of his body withered. Now, in the presence of its silvery glow, it was incredible.

He waited patiently for Hama, the woman so caught up in the wind that it took her a while to react. When she did, it was slow, careful, even as she brought her arms out to the side. "Can you feel it, Ren?" she wondered, "The pull, like an ocean tide... For generations, the moon has blessed waterbenders with its glow. It gives us powers in the night, makes us stronger."

"Yes.." he answered as he looked to his palms. "It's...amazing, it really is."

"What I'm about to show you, I learned in that god forsaken prison. Every month, as I'm sure you did, I felt the power of the full moon flowing through me. I knew I had to get out, that the _moon_ wanted me to get out. Remember what I said?" Hama looked over her shoulder at the teen standing behind her, his eyes wide and curious. "Wherever there is life, there is water. The rats that scurried along the floor of my cage lived, as I did. They were nothing more than fleshy bags of water."

Slowly but surely, Ren came to realize what it was she was getting at. The hair on his arms stood up on end, his heart thumped wildly in the confines of his chest. He couldn't find his voice or even his tongue, he couldn't say a word. Water that moved across her cage, a powerful full moon... When you're desperate, _anything_ can and will be utilized.

Hama turned to face him completely, the wind that passed waving silver locks around her face. She spoke again, "Bloodbending, controlling the water in another body.."  
A brittle chill radiated through the air.  
"I perfected the skills necessary, and when the next full moon came I walked free for the first time in decades. I was set free by the very guards that were assigned to keep me in. Once you learn the technique, Ren, you can control anything, anyone." Her gaze was piercing, expectant of his response. She bestowed upon him a startling truth and now his reaction would decide a great plethora of things.

The chill that combed through his body felt unnatural, unrelated to the breeze that swept over the trees. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, looking at the moon as if it had all of the answers. "To control another person.." the teen softly repeated to himself, "That's... Hama, that's amazing. I just don't know if I want that kind of power, or if I can use it." However, it wasn't because of his own skills. No, Ren didn't doubt that if he took the time to learn it, he too would be able to bloodbend. What made him hesitant was the constantly looming title that he could never shake.

Whether he believed it or not, he was the Avatar. And the Avatar was a force for good, balance, and harmony between everything. No one could be perfectly good, including said Avatar, however there were still morals to uphold. To control someone else by the blood in their body was dark, sinister; something the peace upholding citizen shouldn't ever partake in. He could hear Roku now, or the faceless kid that appeared in his dreams, telling him to move past it.

 

Hama shook her head, lips pursed in a thin line. She was a little annoyed by his soft manner of speaking and took it for cowardice. "The choice," she proceeded to insist, "is not yours. They wiped us out, they broke apart our village. They took you away from your home, Ren. A child should never be ripped from their home but does the Fire Nation care? Of course not! The power exists and it is up to us - up to _you_ \- to fight back against these people no matter where they exist, whoever they are however we can."

"But the war-"

"Is over. Yes, I know that, but it doesn't mean we have to accept the tragedy that has befallen us or our people."

Ren brought his gaze down to the grass, thoughts running through his head at a million miles per hour. She made a completely valid point and yet he couldn't help but remain uncertain about it. He didn't _want_ to practice the technique on another human, he didn't know when or even IF he'd use it in battle. It was straight up wrong and he knew that, however... 

A single thought broke through everything else. ' _Anything to give me the upper hand.._ '  
If he was going to break down the oppressive pillars of the Fire Nation and free the rest of the world - and that was a massive "if" - then what was wrong with having another skill? With a technique designed and practiced only by Hama - no one would be able to combat it. It only worked with the full moon so it's not like he'd _always_ be able to use it. Someone, please, give a good reason as to why he shouldn't take advantage of her generosity.

 

Lifting his head he met Hama's pointed, estranged stare. He wanted to voice his primary concern first, asking, "We're not going to practice on humans, right?"

She waved a hand dismissively in front of her face. "Of course not. You're too inexperienced, so we'll start out small and easy. There are plenty of nocturnal, woodland creatures to use."

That was one concern out of the way. For a brief instance, Ren wondered if the technique naturally killed the person it was inflicted upon. However it was quickly dismissed on the grounds that it _couldn't_. Hama had said it was to control, not to kill. Even if the vessel was small, they wouldn't be killed by it. So, the brunet uncrossed his arms and brought his hands together in front of him. He bowed deeply to her, to the point where his long bangs fell over his face. "I would be honored to learn, Master."


	17. Chapter 17

His sleep was riddled with nightmares that same night. He stood on the stone balcony that looked over cold mountains and carved courtyards, yet he was alone. Whenever his dreams took him there, to the temple, there would always be that unidentifiable person next to him. No matter what, they were _always_ there. Tonight, there was nothing. The wind howled like a rabid beast, the sky whispered in hushed, dark tones. Other than the balcony, everything else became engulfed by a shadow that couldn't be shaped. Ren stepped forward and put his hands down on the rail, leaning as he searched for something familiar.

All he saw included shadows of beings that didn't have a definite form; whatever represented their heads looked up at him. There wasn't a living soul there - spirit or otherwise - to speak, yet Ren could still _hear_ something. It grew louder and louder, sharper and sharper. Like a thunder clap, it rumbled through the mountains to knock him to his knees. All at once he felt immense shame and guilt, disappointment being the emotion that prickled through his spine. A pair of eyes was staring down at him, searing a hole straight through like ray. 

The sound asked him, _"Why would you do it?"_

Ren's doubts, all at once, had been realized. He never encountered a spirit outside of Roku, yet he knew that the spirits as a whole were angry at him. For what, he wondered... It was made painstakingly clear when a small shrew-like creature scurried over his hand. It was so carefree, so serene and at peace with the shrouding darkness that enveloped them. When it looked with crystalline blue eyes, Ren was sure that it was the only saving grace. 

Until it went rigid and lost all control of its body. It had been the creature that Hama pulled from the woods with her bending; the one Ren had practiced on. The contents of his stomach, colorless and odorless, yet thicker than the stone, spilled from his throat in a drowning wave. Each jerk of motion from the shrew only made him feel more sick than before.

 

He knew what this nightmare was about.

**~#~**

Waking up in a bitter cold sweat, Ren didn't have any objections to getting up. The sun peered brightly through his windows in golden rays, welcomed with open and desperate arms. He stood in its glow for a few minutes, running his hands through his sweat-slick hair. Today was the day Toru and Ren would set sail again. Despite enjoying the time spent on the island, the brunet began to feel regret for staying as long as he had. The events of last night brought about a nightmare - something he, admittedly, hadn't experienced much of - that haunted him through every waking hour of the day. He wanted to move on now.

He got dressed quickly and took to the stairs with a wobble in his step. Hama was in the kitchen waiting for him, having prepared a plate for breakfast. She smiled when he entered, pulling out a chair for him to sit. The crazed energy that the waterbender had given off last night was a memory, instead replaced with a lively glow that rivaled her energy of the first few days. It seemed she was blissfully unaware of the turmoil going on in the teenager. "I've already prepared things for you to take," Hama said before leaving him to his meal. "It's not much, just some Fire Nation money for you to use at your next stops - it'll be handy at the Earth Kingdom too, in the colonies - and a special parting gift, waterbender to waterbender."

She set a long pouch onto the table, smiling with great pride towards the item. Ren, a little slow to understand, only looked at it with a questioning stare. When he hardly reacted, the woman laughed. "It's a water skin," Hama explained, "You already know how to bend some water out of the air, but these always come in handy. Store water in it that can be bent when you need a more consistent source, yet also use it to hold drinkable water when you're thirsty. Many uses, but it's a near-staple for waterbenders in unfamiliar places."

Sliding the skin off the table and into his lap, he looked at the striped markings along the sagging part of the body. Though still disturbed by his dream, there was no way for him to not feel immense gratitude towards the gesture. His meal, mostly untouched, was pushed to the side as he stood up and bowed to the experienced waterbender. "Thank you, Hama. It means so much to me..."

"Come now, Ren," she laughed, "No need to be so formal."

As they tangled up in a tight, caring embrace, the nightmare, the food, and the empty chair across the table were completely forgotten.

**.**

It was mid-morning by the time Hama and Ren said their goodbyes, however it went a little bit more rocky than planned. Before leaving, the teen had gone to Toru's room to wake him, hoping that the firebender had returned at some point during the night while they were out. It came as a surprise when the room was empty, and now it was the _only_ thing he cared about. Paranoia got the better of him as he began to step back towards the inn. "Toru wasn't in his room, he must not have come back.."

But Hama was unbothered. She hadn't noticed his concern before, and he hadn't vocalized it before then. Now that the problem was pointed out, if nothing else she seemed a little annoyed. "Ren, dear," the woman said, "had I known he'd cause you so much panic I would've mentioned it sooner; he left early this morning to go get your boat ready."

Relief began to rush through his body like waterfall. Letting out a breath, he bowed his head. "Right, sorry.. Thank you."

Simple as that. They bid each other farewell, exchanged another bow and a hug and _finally_ Ren was on his way. Each time he looked over his shoulder on the way back to the forest, Hama was watching, even waving from her place on the small rise. It was nice to be seen off by someone, especially when that someone didn't want to lock you up and was a piece of home that still lived and breathed. Before disappearing into the treeline, Ren waved once more.

 

The walk had been kind to him. Warm sunlight made him feel safe, the breeze was gentle, and the birds chirped their sweet songs. It would be sad to leave, to go back out onto an unforgiving ocean that was littered with steel warships and angry firebenders, but it was necessary. Ren of all people needed to keep moving, so that he and Toru - if they weren't so awkward with each other - could keep from being traced immediately. It still begged the question of what exactly it was he planned on doing, but that was for another time. The trees opened up right onto the beach after a few more minutes of casual walking, however the sight - or lack thereof - was concerning.

There were no footprints, no busily working body or boat to speak of. There was no sign of Toru at all. When he looked over at the tree where they had initially hidden their vessel, it shocked him to see that it was still there, covered in thick undergrowth that had not even been touched. If Toru truly had left earlier that morning, then why was the boat still hidden? How come there was no trace of him? As questions budded and bloomed in his head, Ren got to work pulling off the cover of foliage and rolling to boat over onto its stomach. He pushed it out into the open, dusted off the dirt and few aphids that crawled across the benched seats, and finally stopped. 

_'Did...'_ he wondered with far too-late of a realization, _'Did Hama lie..?'_

Popping the attached cork out of the water skin, he filled it with a stream pulled directly from the ocean and closed it again. He began to run back through the trees with the pouch slung over his shoulder, erupting out into the open only moments later. 

 


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks to his own doubts, the teen _avoided_ Hama's inn. There was a part of him that wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe she had truly seen the firebender leave and he never made it there. It was the sort of lie he expected from a native of the Fire Nation, not his own brethren. Maybe it was out of desperation that he clung to that, so he avoided her establishment on the grounds that maybe Toru had simply wandered off, or went for another walk while he waited to leave.

Unfortunately, the more he asked around, the more his illusion was broken. No one had seen the young man with raven hair and rusted-amber eyes. The characteristics weren't all that uncommon either, so when Ren pressed even more, he asked about frostbite on the hands. Still, no one had seen him outside of the one time during Hama's shopping trip. His hopes didn't have any chance to build themselves back up before being knocked down again and again.

Something he noticed, however, was how drastic the ratio of people to buildings was. The brunet expected there to be more people he could ask just based on the number of houses, yet when he slowed down to think about it, there were just so few citizens in comparison. It must've been the work of the moon monster; potentially the creature that had taken Toru as well.

 

His search brought him in front of a house with boarded up windows and a padlocked door. Paranoia was a good tool, it seemed, for keeping people safe. Spurred on by a brief flicker of optimism, Ren knocked against the door, taking a step back as it opened to reveal a short old man. His eyes were bulging out of his head, and his head alone was speckled with brown spots. By no means did he seem happy to be bothered, however he had yet to slam the door shut. "Whaddya want?" he snapped.

"Sorry to bother you, sir," Ren started, "but I was just wondering if you've seen a young man recently, in like the last twelve hours. Black hair, amber eyes, pale with red splotches on his hands?"

There was a brief note of recognition in his eyes. "Ignorant kid that didn't believe me? Yeah, I seen him go into the woods last night - didn't hear him come back though. Friend of yours?"

"Yes. Cousin, actually."

The old man proceeded to go on about how he had told the "ignorant kid" about his encounter with the moon monster. There had be no creature, just a sensation that took complete control over his body and forced him towards the mountain. According to the elderly man, the only reason he wasn't flung into the darkness of the cave at the mountain's base was because the "gracious glory" of the sun had rescued him. By the time he finished talking, Ren was almost as pale as the stone. It sounded too much like bloodbending - like _Hama_. Thanking the man for his time, the teen ran for the mountain, following a path that cut through the trees. He wanted to believe with all of his heart that it wasn't the waterbender, that it had been a coincidence. After all, that night she had been training him in the woods.

 

Sure enough, when he broke out of the tree line and stood face-to-face with a wide mountain, the steep incline of a cave entrance stared right back. A cold breeze left it like a breath, heavy like a sigh. His doubts festered like a bacteria, making his body tense and rigid. This seemed almost natural, yet not at the same time. It took a lot of concentrated willpower to keep moving before Ren charged into the darkness.

The path widened, the weathered wall of the cave gliding against his outstretched hand. Eventually the darkness grew lighter, illuminated by two torches on either side of a steel door imbedded into the rock. Now, Ren was even more disturbed. There was no creature that HE knew of capable of making steel doors or symmetrically ordering torches. It had a lock on it, one that required a key he didn't have. However, his panic and paranoia was giving way to a more purposed, upset emotion. A steel door wasn't about to stop him from finding what lay beyond; maybe not just Toru, but a few other imprisoned people as well. Just how long had this "moon monster" been reigning down its terror?

Ren popped the seal off of his water skin and drew out a thin stream to start. This was the moment where he made up for not previously utilizing all the properties of water against the Fire Nation. Taking a few steps back, the stream thickened, now made up of all the water that was inside the pouch. He evened his breathing, he tensed on his back foot. There was no time to waste in breaking down the door, so the teen wanted to take it all out in one go. Ren charged forward in quick, broad steps, twisting the stream of water around him with the fluid motions of his arms.

He focused the water into a specific center, now a single step away from the door. And with that single step, he snapped his arm forward and brought the tightly compressed fluid with it. At the very tip of the stream, all of the water gathered into a sharpened point. With so much pressure pent up behind it, once it pierced the steel, the rest of the stream slammed into the weakened door and bust a hole straight through the middle. Ren pulled the water back into his pouch and leapt through the opening, snagging one of the torches off the wall before continuing on his way. It'd be wrong to think that he wasn't at least a bit pleased with his handy work.

 

The hall curved and opened up to a wide space. Without the light, at first Ren had no idea what he was looking at. Once he brought up the torch and let the flame illuminate the scene, his stomach dropped to his feet. People, weakened and dressed in mere rags, were chained to the walls and naturally standing stone pillars. They were disheveled messes, caked in dust and left to rot. There were... There were so many people, yet still not as many as there were houses. He assumed the worse and swallowed the lump in his throat.

Someone coughed into the dimly lit air. "We're saved..!"

The others moaned and groaned their relief, acting as if they never believed they'd see another unchained soul again. He understood that feeling well enough. Still, he wasn't ready to move, turning with the light so as to see every corner he could. There was, as far as he could tell, no sign of the firebender. "Toru..?" he ended up calling, "Toru, are you in here?"

Appearances could be deceiving, because around the back of one of the pillars someone moved. Chains rattled and clinked together, but soon a head of black hair tried to peak around the curve. "Ren?" they answered, "Is that you, buddy..?!"

 

Out from his pouch came another stream, much smaller and more compact than the one used to break through the door. Ren was officially exposing himself to what seemed like an entire Fire Nation village but it didn't matter anymore. He came around the stone pillar and cut through the chains that bound Toru's wrists to the wall. His feet were chained too, so another pass of the water blade broke through the steel on those as well. Relieved, it took a lot of self control to not tackle the raven then and there. Ren settled for a tight grip on his upper arm. "Are you okay?" he asked first.

"I'm fine," Toru answered, "Still a little creeped out, a bit pissed off, but I'm fine."

Ren handed him the torch and began to mess with the top button of his shirt. As he struggled to get it out of the fabric while still keeping the metal point intact, he knelt beside an older man that was lying on the ground. "Who... _What_ did this to you?" he asked him. While he almost put the blame on Hama, he didn't want to make her the only suspect when there could've been countless of other reasons for what happened. Like before, however, his illusion was crushed.

"It wasn't a what," coughed the man, "but a _who._ "

A woman chained to the wall voiced her agreement, her two-sense on the whole thing. "She looks like a kind old woman, but she's the devil herself... Possessing people to move, stripping us of our will. There used to be more of us here, but they've long since passed on.."

"Hama," Toru hissed through clenched teeth.

And, sure enough, the entire village population murmured their agreement. It was the old woman, it was the waterbender. It was Hama, the last true waterbender of the Southern Tribe. Ren stopped his movements and lowered his head, shame radiating off his body the same way the sun radiated heat. Of _course_ it had been Hama; he had seen it coming. She locked away all of these innocent people with her bloodbending - a skill he now knew - and left them to die. She was terrorizing a village that seemed so peaceful... It hurt immensely to know that a member of his own people had done such a thing, no matter how "justified" it may have been.

Toru must've pieced it together, too, because he squeezed the teen's shoulder. He may have, in his words, not cared about much, but he knew how to read a situation - and he was by no means an idiot. There was no reason for him to _need_ that kind of attachment to a person like Ren unknowingly had with Hama, yet he understood. In a careful, quiet breath, he murmured, "We'll be gone soon. Let's...let's get these people out too."

"See? You do care," Ren mockingly returned in a hushed voice. And the firebender smiled.  
He eventually succeeded in pulling the button out of his shirt and handed it to Toru to use. "I'll take this side, you get that side."

They were about to split off when a chilling, dark voice echoed through the makeshift prison. "You've been a bad boy, Ren." It was distant, muffled. Definitely far away but it was accompanied by a low rumbling. Before anyone had a chance to act, a wave of water rushed in from the hall before it slammed into the villagers and the two benders. The torch was doused, people cried out in panic, but Ren could feel the water grab onto him much like a hand with an iron grip would.

 

He could've fought it. He could've broken free or freezed it, or even halted the flow once he was focused enough, however he didn't. It was receding all at once, pulling Ren with it and dragging his back against the stone. As it passed over the door, some of the broken metal snagged on his forearm and tore through the skin. It hardly felt like more than a slight burn. The darkness was replaced with the bright light of the afternoon and the water splashed against the ground, spilling into the undergrowth of the tree line. Ren, on his back, was reluctant to get up.

He knew what was waiting for him, seething with the rage of betrayal. The energy coming from Hama was almost tangible, prickling against his skin like the bite of ice until he finally decided to move. With a slow breath, Ren pushed himself up into a sitting position, then into a kneel and finally up into a stand. Her eyes were sharp like daggers, yet deranged like a mad man - or someone who has lost everything. To some degree, he could understand the angered hurt she wore on her face. He felt it towards Toru, who wasn't even aware of what he mean to the teen as an actual _ally._

So yeah, he got it. He understood where Hama was coming from and he felt for her. If nothing else, he wanted both of them to let this go and move on without any problems. However, there was something deeper at work here. Ren almost wanted retribution for even practicing such a dark skill, to apologize to the shrew and even his previous lives. If learning bloodbending was going to lead him to commit something so wrong as imprisoning innocents, he didn't want it. Force for good and balance - the overly mentioned Avatar - didn't matter, because common _sense_ said that this had to stop. He brought up his hands and secured his stance, feeling no fear in the dazzling light of day. "I'm sorry, Hama," Ren said, "but I can't let you do this anymore."

Distrubed, enraged, and hysterical, Hama practically screamed at him.


	19. Chapter 19

"You're a fool!" she shrieked violently, not yet taking a stance against Ren, "You would rather betray your own people than serve _justice_?! What they did to us, what they did to our tribe... We're broken apart, few and far between, yet you side with them! They locked a child like you away for merely existing, Ren. You were _alone_ , with no one that understood you!" Her hand snapped out, finger crooked and pointing so sharply at the center of his chest. "You know the technique, you have the skill. You have the _power_ to carry on my work and avenge our brothers!"

If they were meeting under the light of the moon - of a _full_ moon - then maybe he would've been scared. Facing a waterbender's wrath in the night time was like a death sentence, but because it was Hama it would've been worse. Maybe he would've been in awe, proud to be among someone like himself from a people that were on the brink of extinction. For a while he really did like Hama, as she represented everything he lost to time and the Fire Nation's control. He wanted to avoid fighting her on the grounds of their connection. Now that Ren saw her true colors, that changed and he was almost proud to say that they weren't anything alike. 

His gaze remained even, cool like the ocean that rivaled the unstable, stormy weather of Hama's eyes. He asked her, "Couldn't you have just left Toru out of this?"

The woman scoffed, violently at that. She brought her arm back down and swayed on her feet, the hysteria making her well over a century in age, weathered down to a husk. "A member of the navy? The very militant force that lays siege to the water tribes? As if!" Hama was saying, "He deserves to rot like the rest of them, or, even better, die right now! If you aren't going to do what is intended of you, what is your _destiny_ , then I..!"

Her breath left her in a gasp, as did whatever remained of her sanity. It was as if she only just realized that he stood ready to fight. Those orbs of hers darted incessantly, following a pattern that didn't exist while the gears turned in her head. Slowly, the raising arms stopped, then lowered back down. Her brow twitched. "I'll do it myself..." Hama croaked, "I'll destroy him, those putrid Fire Nation _cretins_ , AND you!"

Feet scuffed against the stone behind the teen, people whimpered at the blinding sun, and for a brief moment horror flickered across Hama's features. Her prisoners stood freely, behind a firebender who stood behind another waterbender. That was the final teetering point for the woman, expelling her deranged hysteria in a high-pitched shriek. 

 

Water ripped from the trees around them. The poor plants shriveled into nothing now that they were dried shreds, breaking apart and falling to the ground in pieces. With the water now accumulated in large orbs - four total - Hama stood in the center as a menacing sight, arms raised and mouth agape, the faint strings of a haggard laugh leaving her throat. Someone in the crowd cried out with fear. When the water shot forward, twisting into a single jet, the villagers huddled together - it never reached them. Ren brought his hands forward for the middle of the jet, parting it in half and letting the water stream around his sides. 

This fight would not stop there; not with one lucky shot, not with three. The thing about waterbending - fundamental basics Ren had forgotten - was that it was mainly a defensive art, turning another's attacks against them as well as their energy. Because of Hama, he knew that Northern and Southern bending were different. One was the careful defensive type (the supposed basics he thought he understood) while the other was aggressive. So, the brunet used that same water as it was used against him, curving it into a ring around his body before lunging forward. 

Whip after whip after whip, flicked out from the ring to strike at a frail old woman. Not exactly the best thing to look at, but that same woman just kept destroying the foliage around her to defend. Each rush from her degraded Ren's ring, yet neither let up. Before he knew it, the mountain was no longer at his back and they erupted out of the forest. Hama accommodated for the change in location instantaneously, stripping the beautiful fire lilies of their life, water, and color to throw him overhead with a wave. They were in the blooming field, no additional trees to pull from and very little plant life to exploit; the air, as well, could only hold so much water.

He landed hard on his side. Not even permitted a chance to recover, Hama lay down a barrage of attacks, first starting with the sharp snaps of water tendrils and moving on to blunt, frozen strikes. By the time Ren was back on his feet, the skin of his arms was beginning to welt up with bruises and sores. She cackled with laughter and scarred the field with death, surging forward on a small wave. "You're decades too young to face me!" she roared, leaping from the surge before sending it his way.

Having one's balance back meant nothing if you couldn't utilize it, so Ren shuffled forward a few steps and lifted his hands. It was daunting to be in the presence of such a fast moving wave of water, spurred on by a more experienced bender that had no mental walls like he did. Still, by clenching his fists he seized temporary control and created a hiccup in the otherwise straight path. It diverged around him in a wide, arching peak as he turned, pulling more water from the lilies to add to its size. When the teen sent it back, it was three times the initial side and rumbling twelve times more loudly. Hama was unfazed, and parted it as he had done the first time.

 

Unlike him, however, she didn't have a chance to turn it back. Before the parted halves of the wave could even hit the ground, Ren crossed his arms in front of his chest. He maintained his control and crashed one part into her legs, the other into her back. Knocked onto her chest, winded, Hama wheezed painfully. Now was the perfect time to subdue her completely; freeze her in an icy prison before she could do anything else or pin her down and leave her at the mercy of the villagers. But he just...couldn't. 

Keeping his hands up, the brunet came closer to her. Had he been against anyone else, maybe there wouldn't have been so much hesitation. "Hama..." Ren said slowly, startled by how desperate his voice sounded, "Please, just give up now.. Put your skill to better use and _free_ people instead. I don't want my only memory of the Southern waterbenders...to be so hopeless. Let it go already.."

She lifted her head first, then pushed up to sit on her knees. Her expression was hidden by the disrupted gray bangs hanging in front of her face. Still, with _her_ hesitation, he hoped that Hama would at least consider moving on from her anger. If she couldn't, then at the very least Ren could understand why, but to take it out on those that didn't contribute to the cruelty enacted on a group of people? Even as reluctant as Ren was to save, he knew that it couldn't be tolerated by any means; not when he, or anyone else, had the power to do something.

Hama whispered under her breath. "You... You'll never move on from this, either, child. You're a bloodbender now.." She smiled broadly, deeply, and with the most far-seeing gaze ever noted in history. Her tone was only ominous. "It will bring you down too, and you will be EXACTLY like me - memory or not."

Unnerved _drastically_ , his once readied stance fell to nothing and his concentration broke, presenting Hama with the perfect opportunity to turn the tables. She rose up in a leap and stole whatever water remained in the plants around them, directing each stream directly for the teen. Ren barely noticed in time, too, before trying to bend the water on a different course. Waterbending had a lot to do with emotional state; and right now, he was the farthest thing from stable, uprooted by words from a cooky old woman. Whatever he attempted to do to the water resulted in absolutely _nothing_ changing, so the brunet quickly dived out of the way. Then, Hama cried out in pain and crumpled into a heap among the flowers.

 

Smoke rolled off her robes, water flooded the shriveled flowers. Ren brought himself to a kneeling position and stared in awe at the person a yard and a half behind the old woman. It had felt like quite some time since he had seen Toru firebend, so imagine his surprise to see the raven standing post-strike with a stern expression on his features. This, he realized, ended up making the biggest difference. 

While Hama was skilled, Ren had a different purpose to fight for and won. The only reason - admittedly, this was up for debate - that she could even retaliate was because he still had his naive doubts towards her, and she knew how to get into his head. She now lay weak and defeated because she didn't have anyone else at her side. 

He stood up carefully before coming over to the waterbender. The villagers were doing the same, armed with the cuffs that once used to be on their own wrists in order to arrest the moon monster. Hama stared, rage in her eyes but defeat in the rest of her body, directly up at Ren and hissed through her teeth. "You're weak, child.. Letting a wretched firebender - a _monster_ \- finish a battle that should've been between two waterbenders.."

"Says the monster. I'll get better," Ren replied, though it was more to himself. 

Hama was taken away in chains, the field of lilies was brutally marred by black streaks of death, and only the two benders remained. Neither of them spoke for a while; one was focused, with a heavy heart, on the bitter aftermath of a pointless battle while the other let their gaze wander, occasionally looking to his companion. Eventually, Toru said something first. "We should, probably get going."

"Yeah.."

**~#~**

The island was barely more than a speck in the distance, soon swallowed up behind puffy white clouds. He wanted to forget all that happened, that the sensation of bloodbending would fade away before the next full moon and the fire lilies would grow back before their brief season ended. Hama, especially, was someone he wanted to forget. Yet none of those things would happen, no matter how hard he tried to make it so.

Ren leaned against the edge of their softly rocking boat and peered into the water. A tired, hollow reflection stared right back - maybe if he waved, he'd get some kind of reaction. There were all sorts of thoughts that bounced around his head, excluding the still-lingering shame and disappointment; the latter being towards himself for not being able to successfully win a waterbending fight. Some of them were practical, asking in a soundless voice where they would go next or how he should get better. One in particular prodded at the raw scar of "Avatar" deeply imbedded in his soul somewhere, reminding him of his predetermined duty to the world.

His eyelids, heavy, lulled shut. ' _If I'm going to some day be the Avatar,_ ' the teen thought to himself, ' _I'm going to need to_ actually _master waterbending.._ ' For the first time, Ren's internal voice wasn't bitter.

 

"Look, Ren..." Toru suddenly said, clearing his throat as he looked down - wearing a disinterested mask as per usual - into his lap.

In turn, Ren opened his eyes and looked over, curious by the change in atmosphere. All of their tension felt like it was gone, yet he boiled it down to just being mutual understanding or something. He had rescued Toru from an underground prison chamber-thing and Toru had saved him from Hama; they were even, weren't they? 

The raven continued, saying, "I'm sorry about...about everything. I mean, you ended up coming back for me even though I was being a total _jerk_. You could've joined Hama and she probably wouldn't ever be rude about things like that. Though, I'm glad you didn't. I don't know what kind of stuff you're going through, with all this destiny stuff or whatever." He waved his hand through the air to emphasize the "whatever" to the "destiny". When he lowered it, his gaze was raised to match Ren's and a small smile pulled across his lips. "But, you know, I think you've got it going for yourself."

This was more than enough to shake down his doubts. It wasn't necessarily Toru's job to apologize - the teen had been even more in the wrong than him - however he still did it first, and he seemed to mean it. It stood as enough to make Ren smile right back. Crossing his arms under his chin he leaned onto the edge of the boat again. "So... We cool?" he asked him.

"Yeah, we're cool."

 

They still had the blockade to get past first, but as soon as they were out on open ocean they could go anywhere in the world. When the time came to make a decision, the Avatar was pretty sure he knew his next destination; and it _wasn't_ going to be home.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After leaving behind the events with Hama, Toru and Ren finally reach the point of no return - where their adventure truly begins BEYOND the realm of the Fire Nation. What awaits out at open sea..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back from a break for a new arc. Let's goooooo

Early morning, the fog of the islands hung low as it spread out over the ocean. Today was a big day - possibly the most important in terms of travel. The fog only provided enough cover for the small boat to get out into open waters but soon it was left to the mercy of the world. In no time at all, no matter how clear the morning became, there was not a single _hint_ of land in any direction. He could smell it already, nostrils burning from the sensation. A hand covered over his nose and Toru, sitting low in the belly of the boat with his oar, only nodded. "We're close.." he somberly said.

Directly ahead of them was this constantly moving line of dark figures atop the water, smoke plumes rising from their towers. The current was wobbly even as far out as the life boat, disturbed by the path of the warships as they patrolled. Ren bit his lip and stared with a troubled expression. This stood to be the final stretch before they passed the Fire Nation's border. Still, when he thought about it, the rest of the world was _technically_ part of the Fire Nation now. Once they made it out, there still was no guarantee that they'd have an easier time. 

 

Toru cut through his thoughts. "If we're going to go, then we better do it now. Before they see us coming."

He nodded, rising up from his bench and discarding his own oar to the side. It had taken them an additional four days to get this far, taking a few detours along the southern islands of the nation before cutting directly northwest as opposed to following the archipelago all the way. They had changed paths near an island that struck the teen as...familiar, but they didn't have a chance to visit. It was primarily to keep the navy off their tail, buy time, mentally prepare, and it wasn't like it had been a complete waste either. Ren, determined to improve rather than to wing it, had practiced his waterbending. Hama taught him all these tricks and skills, however there hadn't been any focus on the basics; basics which the likes of Zaken had emphasized so strongly. For good reason, it seemed, because they were the few things Ren's body still remembered.  
The breathing, slow motions as opposed to faster ones, stance and position. Finally, there was a little more confidence in his abilities.

Taking even breaths, the brunet began to move his arms. In response, the waves came in slow, rhythmic lifts. Water rose over the edge of the boat and spilled into its belly. Toru scrambled to the safety of his seat, tucking his legs up to not get wet. It was obvious that he had no _clue_ what the waterbender was doing, yet he kept his mouth shut. The vessel grew heavy with the extra weight, starting to sink into the ocean as if it was forsaken. That had been the intention. After all, boats were designed to float along the surface of the water, not below. By no means would it be easy to keep it from rising back up on his own, so that's where the water weight came in handy.

After deeming himself satisified by how far the vessel had sunk - just enough that no more water unintionally spilled in - Ren moved his arms up and around him. Likewise, the water followed, rising over the bow of the boat to meet with the careul waves that came up along the sides. They met at the back, constantly flowing like rivers that fought the ocean's currents. It served as a means of steering; control, essentially. His foot caught, knocking against the inner wall when he tried to move around better. The cacoon hitched but didn't falter as it was maintained by the motion of his arms.

Offering a smile as he climbed onto one of the benches, his gaze flickered to Toru. "No lightshows while we're under, okay..?" The firebender was in the middle of _staring_ at him, jaw slack and eyes wide. He had been mesmerized by the other's movements as if it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. Thinking about it, it was the smoothest bending Ren had done while still remaining...well, as himself. But he didn't really know much about that. 

 

The rushing cacoon helped them fight against the current of the sea, eventually being the means of submergence once Ren forced them down deep. Of course they couldn't go _too_ deep, just enough to where, if someone on the warship looked down, they wouldn't be suspicious of anything they saw. It was still dark under the water, the sun not yet rising high enough to light their way. 

He kept his breathing balanced even as his arms began to burn from the continous actions of moving around his body. Making a small mental note to work on his physical state as well, they propelled through the water for the blockade. It became harder to focus as the anxiety, the fear of getting caught, grew drastically. Ren tried to distract himself. "So," he attempted, "what lies beyond the blockade?"

"Huh? Oh.." Toru thought for a moment, brow furrowing as he racked his brain for an answer. If nothing else, he was probably pulling up a mental map of the world and of the Fire Nation. He also had to take into consideration the new course they took rather than what they initially planned. "If we keep going northwest," he eventually responded, "we'll probably hit what _used_ to belong to the Air Nomads over one hundred years ago. It's were the.... I think, the Western Air Temple is located."

Instantly, the first thing Ren thought of was the temple and mountain range from his dreams. With those always came that kid he couldn't ever see or name, the one that usually sounded sad, yet could still laugh. He was tempted to find the temple during a detour but that was _if_ they made it that far. Overhead, the warships began to cast their looming shadow down over the boat, its passengers, and the churning streams that carried them. Ren struggled to keep his breathing steady, panic clawing down his throat like an animal desperate to escape. For good measure, he forced them a little further down, having to reinforce the strength of the streams around them to accomodate for pressure.

The firebender gave up on keeping his body scrunched on the bench and lowered his feet to the boat's miniature pool. He leaned forward with his arms on his knees, watching carefully yet no longer as interested as he appeared earlier. "Well?" he ended up asking, startling Ren with his expectant tone, "Where are we going?"

"Ask me that _after_ we're a safe distance away... Please.."

**~#~**

Once _positive_ that they were far enough and that there weren't any other patrols lurking around, the boat rose to the surface of the water, breaching like a whale yet not nearly getting the same amount of air. The cacoon spilled back into the waves, a smooth pull of the arms led the water that was in the boat back out. Both males took up their oars and got to work paddling. Eventually, Ren took the time to answer. He was partly worried about the decision he had made, unsure if it was the right one or if, by saying it, there were no longer any other options to choose from. It may not have been written in stone but it sure felt like it.

He replied, "North. I want to go to the North Pole."

Toru scoffed and shook his head, eyes half-lidded as he spooned the water with his oar. "For vacation?" he teased, "I didn't take you for the type to relax."

"As if." Ren brought his own oar out of the water, hesitant to continue pushing along. All of his concerns were, no doubt, bottled up in that head of his. They wanted out, but _he_ didn't want them out. Despite everything, the brunet still didn't believe in himself as the Avatar. The proof was undeniably there, yet, when he looked back, it didn't make a lick of difference when you saw how little he could do. It felt like a sharp wound on his spirit to admit his faults, especially when he shouldn't have any at all. The way he saw it, the Avatar was supposed to be flawlessly good and irrefutably perfect in all that he did.

Laying the oar across his lap, he scratched at his head frustratedly, squeezing his eyes shut. "There aren't any waterbenders from the South Pole," he proceeded to explain, "and I learned-" Bloodbending. "- _nothing_ from Hama. Had you not been there, I probably would've lost for real against her. I can't...do anything for anyone, and I don't know what I'm doing to begin with..!"

The boat hardly moved, carried along only by gentle waves and churning currents at a slow, inky pace. "So..?" Toru prodded. His tone didn't sound forcing, didn't sound judgmental. Though he claimed he didn't understand the struggle Ren had going on, it seemed like he had an idea of how to encourage the teen's thoughts forward. Maybe it became something he grew good at once they left Hama's village.

Ren went on and lowered his hands to his lap. "I need to go north," he said, "so that I can learn waterbending again... This time, properly." He raised his head to look at the raven, eyebrow arching as he asked, "Have you ever been to the Northern Water Tribe?"

 

A slightly shamed expression crossed Toru's features and the young man looked away, jaw clenched under his skin. "I was part of the navy," he answered slowly with a bitter voice, "I was... A part of the final attack four years ago that officially conquered the Northern Tribe."

A strange wave, though small, smacked against the side of the boat, rocking it from side to side. Startled, Toru didn't even need to wonder what had caused the change; it had been so unnatural that he already had an idea. He faced Ren, who was looking straight at him with an unreadable, pointed expression. Obviously, hearing that his companion had played a part in the fall of the north - however minuscule it might've been - didn't exactly sit well. The teen eventually spoke, his voice sounding rough and hallow. "Are there any waterbenders left."  
It sounded more like a demand than a question.

The firebender was...a bad liar, and it was obvious in the way his features contorted as he thought about his answer. Giving up, he could only sigh, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "I don't know," Toru admitted, "I got into a fight with one and never saw the end of it. They kinda froze me, y'know? The Admiral - a crazy kind of guy, he had led the first attack that weakened them immensely about fifteen years ago - brought a Fire Sage from the Temples to test them all. I was told that much. I'm not sure who's left and who's...not.."

 

A lot of the tension that first appeared in Hama's village was back in full force, making the silence between them awkward and almost painful to withstand. However, it was interrupted by Ren himself, who tensed up as he stared off into the distance. "Um... What is that?"

Coming straight from the north, appearing as if from _nothing,_ was a large wooden ship. Its sails were puffed full with air, a violet gradient flag waved from the crow's nest. Then, launched from somewhere on deck, flaming balls of fire came raining down on the life boat. The first one splashed just next to them, nearly tilting the boat over. It would've succeeded, too, had Ren not brought up a halting plate of ice to keep them from falling out. As they rested against the gradually melting surface with their vessel teetering on its edge, the waterbender pulled himself up to the top. "Toru, what _is_ that?!" he asked again, this time more desperately.

"Aw, monkey feathers..." the raven cursed in turn. He sounded so tired of everything, scrubbing his hands down his face. "It's a pirate ship. Don't know what they'd want from us.. Unless there's a bounty on our heads, because then they'd have a perfectly good excuse."

With the pirate ship coming closer, they could hear the _thwock_ of a catapult slinging its load forward. Ren and Toru threw themselves back into the boat, the ice plate melting back into the water. Toru grabbed for his oar, frantic to paddle them as quickly as he could. "We need to get out of here!" he barked. Ren grabbed his own oar as well, however they weren't going to evade the oncoming fire ball with paddling alone. He stuck the blade of it into the water and put one foot on the edge of the boat. The heat emanating off of the projectile had the hairs on his arm curling as it came down on them. Unless he could put enough force into the water, they were as good as dead.

Letting out a battle cry, Ren cut his oar through the sea and snapped upward upon exit, bringing with it a large swell of water. He continued his swing in an arch over his head, bending the water with it. The fire was doused, the large, oiled projectile was caught by the trail and flung into the ocean. Despite the mild victory, the pirate ship was riding suddenly along their side. Sails, it seemed, were extremely useful when catching up to something. 

 

The two looked up as it siddled up to their tiny craft. On its bow was this weird dragon-crossed woman made of wood - a decorative piece, something that struck Ren as odd - however it brought a look of recognition to the firebender's face. "No _way_..." he breathed. A rope ladder was dropped from the deck, the sails were held taught, and no one had yet to board and pillage them of all they had. Confused, Ren squinted against the blinding sun to focus on a figure that stood expectantly over the ladder. 

"Look who it is," they called, their voice sweet and sharp, "Never thought I'd see you again, honey bear."

"Honey bear...?"

But Toru stood, ditching his oar on the bench before grabbing onto one of the ladder's steps. "Kajiko?" he returned, his own voice shrill with disbelief. Now, for better or for worse, Ren was completely at a loss of what was going on.


	21. Chapter 21

Fate proved to be considerably kind to them that day. With their boat secured onto the side of the massive ship, the two boarded and were met with a whole crew of thirteen waiting on deck for them. Standing in the front was a beautiful young woman with warm auburn hair pulled into a puffed top knot while the rest cascaded down her back. She had bright, scorching honey eyes and makeup painting her features neatly. A brief glance in his direction screamed that it wasn't him they were interested in, but Toru, who was still in a state of shock over this person they had encountered. Though... The firebender had once mentioned how he had been a pirate before his imprisonment.

The captain lifted her arms, the chest plate ornamenting her layers of red and bronze rattling as it knocked against the pieces on her shoulders. "I never thought I'd see you again," she declared. Graceful steps carried her over to the raven before she tightly entrapped him between her arms. Her head resting on his chest, her painted eyes lulling shut, she seemed almost sincerely happy that Toru was there. "Welcome home, honey bear."

Ren didn't know what exactly it was that he had been expecting, but it came as a _shock_ when the raven returned the embrace - admittedly, with some hesitance. His hand stroked casually through her hair and he kept his gaze up. "Same here...Kaji.."

 

Swords were turned on the waterbender immediately afterwards. He just about jumped out of his skin, hands raised in surrender as he didn't know if he was _allowed_ to defend against them. The stares of the crewmen made him anxious, the shine on their blades made his skin crawl. Meanwhile the captain didn't seem bothered, not until Toru loosened his hold and put a hand on Ren's shoulder. "He's...with me.." came the slow comment, "He's with me, so don't hurt him.."

The female captain looked up at him with a pout, brow furrowed in distaste. "How unlike you," she said, "Who is he? He's a waterbender, isn't he? What is he doing out of jail?"

' _We've been found out..!_ ' Ren instantly thought, swallowing the lump in his throat.

As it would turn out, however, when her pointed gaze came to him, that _all_ waterbenders were supposedly imprisoned. His freedom was a surprise on those grounds only, nothing else. Toru didn't know how to respond, mumbling "oh" and "well" yet not formulating any kind of answer to her question. She appeared to piece together her own theory, much like the raven had done during their time in jail. "A navy boy like you?" the auburnette questioned at last, "Did you help him escape or something?"

When it became clear that Toru still couldn't respond, Ren took the lead, nodding his head with obvious hesitance. "Y-yeah," he responded, "My crew cornered Toru a few days after he escaped from jail, and I couldn't bring myself to...to take him in.. They would've killed me for betraying the cause and I asked him to take me along.."

"Where are you from, waterbender?"

"The North Pole."

She was satisfied. Breaking away from Toru, the young woman extended a hand out in greeting. This thereby signaled her men to lower their weapons and stand down. Ren took the offered hand to him, worried that his palm was obscenely sweaty from that rush of anxiety earlier. "My name is Kajiko," she introduced, "Captain of the Iylia, the Lady Dragon. Nice to meet you, little navy boy."

It seemed he had yet _another_ identity to uphold to, not just Jin. At least this time he could use his own name, right?

**~#~#~**

Ren learned quite a lot while being on board of the Iylia. Supposedly this was the very same ship that Toru had served on and the very same crew - save for a few faces - that he had been a part of. It interested him immensely, intentionally or not, learning about the life his companion had lived after leaving the navy. He still held some sort of bitter grudge against the raven for the fate of the North Pole, but he knew it wouldn't last forever. It's not like it was his fault anyways.

Nevertheless, it seemed that Toru had a few friends. When the waterbender, reluctant to interact and expose them, said that he wanted to go "home" to the North Pole, Kajiko asked Toru if he would be joining him. He said yes, and in that same instance the ship was turned around. She was determined to get them there. Now, Kajiko was a _different_ kind of friend. During the early hours of the evening, as the crew gathered on deck to celebrate the return of a comrade, Ren learned more about the person that was Toru Hoen.

 

Kajiko and Toru had met three years ago at the very least, when a firebender that was leaving his old life behind ran into a mysterious, ambitious young lady. They fell in love, joined together on a pirate ship, and sailed for years. One of the crewmen - a large man with an equally large gut and a heavily scarred chest - barked out a hardy laugh, smacking Ren on the back with a meaty hand. "They were passionate alright!" he boomed, "But damn, if they didn't ever take a moment to stop fightin', I'm tellin ya right now." Kajiko would usually win their fights. And these weren't just verbal fights, they were apparently all out _brawls_. From what Ren knew already, Toru didn't like getting hurt or getting into fights he couldn't win.

Sipping from his mug, the brunet muttered under his breath. "You'd think he'd have learned his lesson.."

Maybe he had, too, because despite Kajiko's earnest attitude and sincerity in the way she clung to Toru's side after their time apart, the raven seemed reluctant to join her. Like he was too timid, or even afraid. The air that radiated off of this smaller girl was no doubt powerful and strong, the complete opposite of Toru. There was just something about her... When her gaze flickered to Ren, a chill raked up his spine just as quickly as the smile on her face turned bitter. She clearly didn't like the teen.

 

"She's a little mad at 'im," admitted the crewmate, pulling Ren's attention back to the conversation, "because after most of us got caught and broke out again, Toru never told her. Had some of us not gone back or lingered behind, the Captain might've still been locked up. Don't know why he left her, or why she's still able to smile at 'im. I'd be livid if _my_ boyfriend ever ditched me like that."

Eventually the party migrated down below deck, where the crew began to separate off into their quarters. Naturally, Ren lingered behind to wait for Toru, but something told him to keep moving. Maybe it was the way tension filled the air, or maybe it was the look of warning Kajiko gave to all of her crewmen. He would wait, then, for Toru to return. The first mate, a tall sprout of a man named Ahnid, directed him to the small, more private quarters where the two benders would be staying. The sleeping arrangements merely consisted of thick hammocks but they looked comfortable all the same. Ren spilled himself into the one closest to the door and waited, hands clasped over his stomach and eyes fixated on the wooden flooring overhead.

The churning in his gut made him uneasy...

**. . .**


	22. Chapter 22

He didn't like where this was going. The sharp scented alcohol in his mug remained untouched, the food cooked on a wooden skewer stayed unmarked, and he kept a slight distance at all times. Before Ren disappeared below deck, he had noticed the concern on the teen's face, yet he couldn't act on it. Now he was alone with Kajiko, the person capable of beating him into a pulp. ' _Keep calm,_ ' Toru reminded himself, ' _She can sense everything you feel, so pretend. You can act.._ '

The raven set his fish kabob and mug down on a now open seat, turning towards Kajiko. He kept his expression cool, his body language masked. "What is it, Kaji?" he ended up asking first, "There's something bothering you."

"I know that you said that you're going north with Ren," she answered, coming up so that they were practically touching noses, "but, Toru... Honey bear... We're still us, right? We made up before we were arrested, we're still _okay_ , aren't we?" When he didn't answer, the briefest flicker of buried rage lit up her eyes. It faded when she blinked and it was as if it never existed. He knew better than that. Kajiko continued, walking her fingertips up his chest and against the folded hem of his robe, "We can take him north, but you should stay with us." Her thumb hooked under the side of his vest and pushed it aside as she spoke. 

It felt like a trap, the way she lured him in with her voice or wrapped him around her fingers with her actions. Toru was just a minnow that made its home in the lip of a shark, waiting for death; either his own or the shark's. Whichever would come first. By that point Kajiko's hand cupped his face, warm and soft against his skin. Despite his better judgement, the raven titled his head into her palm. The riot in his chest, spurred on by his beating heart, didn't feel warm or elated. The sensation he was feeling towards this beautiful woman _wasn't_ a good thing.

Knowing she wouldn't wait around for an answer much longer, Toru ended up taking hold of her hand and pulled it away from his face, carefully patting against her knuckles. "I'll think about it," he said. His tone gave him away and he knew it, how he was going to sincerely consider it but his decision was already made. Kajiko scowled. Had she not been wearing such thick, beautiful makeup, the shadows of her anger would've been painstakingly obvious. Toru separated himself from the pirate, heading for the lower levels of the ship where he would reunite with his companion.

**.  
.  
.**

The door swung open and in came the firebender, looking as if he had come face to face with the devil himself. Or the ghost of Avatar Roku, which was just as daunting if you asked him. Ren sat up awkwardly, just about falling out of the hammock as he did. He watched with a persistent stare as the raven meandered over to the hammock at the far end of the wall. Toru threw himself into the folds with refined expertise, not rocking it too much and not almost falling out. Obviously he was an experienced user of these hammocks - something Ren wasn't. The teen wanted to lighten the atmosphere with a joke but, as it turned out, no jokes would be welcomed.

They remained silent for a long time. The only sounds to fill the air were the slaps of waves against the ship, the creaks of the floorboards, and the hushed, heavy chatter of the sleepy crew further down the hall. For a while, Ren wasn't sure if the other was even _awake_ anymore. He sagged into the belly of the hammock and continued to stare up at the ceiling, twiddling his thumbs. Even if they weren't going to talk, sleep felt too far away for him, and the torchlight continued to paint the cabin in dancing shadows. Maybe Toru was so exhausted he managed to fall asleep already, completely forgetting about the little fire illuminating their room...

The firebender let out a deep, heavy breath in the form of a sigh, snagging Ren's attention almost immediately. It was obvious that he wanted to say something, yet at the same time he didn't - like he was fighting with his options. So, as Toru had done on multiple occasions, the brunet took the lead, leaning out of his hammock and bringing his feet to the floor. "Are you okay?" Ren asked, "Need to... I don't know, talk about it? Maybe?"

"Not about _it,_ " came the quick response, "just talk. I...guess..."

Ren frowned slightly, lips pursed in a thin line. "Then what about?"

 

Toru turned over in his hammock, staring straight at the other with the most persistantly shrouded gaze he had ever seen on the other. "You," he said, "I want to talk about you."

This came as a surprise above all else. The _last_ thing Ren wanted to talk about was himself. There was nothing of interest to say, he didn't have any stories, and as far as he could remember, all his life consisted of was fear from his tribe and prison life. How could that have been an interesting topic? Then he realized, from the flicker in Toru's eyes, that it wasn't actually "him" he was interested in. 

Stung, the teen lowered his head. "What do you want to know?" he asked hesitantly, voice low and distant.

The raven sat up this time, keeping himself neatly folded in the hammock unlike Ren. Now that the shadow was gone from his features, the slight interest he had was made clear. Which, when thinking about it, kind of hurt a little more. They only talked about each other, their personal details and lives only once, while everything else was centered around this "being" that Ren wanted to shut out. This time didn't seem like it was going to be any different. Toru ran a hand through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes, while Ren let his long bangs hide away his face.

"What is it like," the raven started with first, "having the collective conscience of the Avatars?"

"I don't know."

"You've had contact with Avatar Roku before, right?"

"Kind of."

"You can't communicate with him? I thought that was the whole point."

He scratched at the fiborous material of the hammock, fists tightly clenched around the folds. "I don't know anything about the Avatar," Ren confessed, "and whatever I _do_ know, I'm not sure of. The Avatar has been gone for well over a century, just about wiped from all of history and now I'm supposed to figure it out by myself. If you've got any information about it, then please, don't hesitate to share." Instantly, he bit his tongue. As it stood now he was teetering on the edge of regret, knowing that anything to leave his mouth next would push them both back into that realm of tension that had occured in Hama's village. Ren didn't want to do that again. He released the edge of the hammock and leaned as far back as he could while keeping his feet on the floor, arms wrapped tightly around himself. A small apology left his lips and he kept quiet.

 

It came as a surprise when Toru responded with a shrug and a quaint little "Don't sweat it" before he, too, leaned back. The risk of conflict evaporated into the air, leaving them with an empty silence. Eventually, the firebender spoke, "I don't know much either, other than what I learned in school all that time ago and what I've _witnessed_ with my own two eyes by watching you."

Ren scoffed, shaking his head dismissively. "You probably haven't seen much then."

"No," he agreed, "but it has reminded me of things that I otherwise forgot about. Like, for one, the thing about your past lives? In some of the texts they taught us in school in regards to history, just about everything about the Avatar was cropped out; including our own Fire Nation native, Avatar Roku. We only covered it briefly because of its contextual importance."

It sounded like quite the bore.

"They say that you can connect with your ancestors through meditation, and that it was the same way for the Avatar to communicate with his past selves. Do you know how to meditate, Ren?"

The brunet shook his head, almost embarrassed. Maybe if he knew how to meditate, he'd be more at peace with himself and the conflict that he was so painfully aware of going on inside of him. This seemed to spur Toru on, who suggested that, if Ren could figure out how to meditate and communicate with his past lives, things may end up making more sense. He laughed, "Maybe they could actually tell me what I'm supposed to do rather than just randomly appearing in dreams that are completely out of my control."

 

Eventually the light-hearted teasing turned more somber, just as the topic shifted to something that Ren was more reluctant to discuss. Toru looked over with an arched brow, asking, "What about the Avatar State? That's the one cool thing about the job, right?" When he saw the teen's expression - pale and hallow - he had his answer, sitting forward again but with more concern than curiosity. "So... Maybe not?"

"Not," Ren agreed in a thick voice.

"Why? You're all-powerful like that and you've got lifetimes of power pent up in the moment. You could face an entire army. Hell, you already _have,_ so that's got to count for something."

Time slowed to a leisurely crawl, the waves felt like they went still and it was only the two benders caught in a moment of halted existence. Ren closed his eyes, crossing his legs at the ankles like that was the only way to keep himself grounded. He could feel the sway of energy, the lack of weight and movement. The loss of complete control, coherency, and understanding that came with his time against the Fire Nation's forces. With the state envoked, Ren wasn't himself. He knew that much, even if he remembered nothing else. "I... I don't even know what it is," he said with a hushed tone, unable to bring himself beyond a faint, scraping whisper, "I don't understand what it is, and I don't like it _because_ I don't know..

"I already barely know who I am, Toru, so the last thing I need is this _other_ form of myself acting on its own accord. By the time we were beyond the main island... Do you remember?" Ren asked him, "Because I sure as hell _didn't_ , I didn't remember anything that had happened. Even now, it's all a massive blur I don't understand or even remotely agree with." He paused, catching his breath as the desperation he felt crawled up his throat and made it difficult to breathe, or think properly. Toru didn't force him to continue.

The firebender himself looked like he was shocked, unable to form his own thoughts. He had apologized before about not understanding, so maybe now he had an idea. Not a good idea, sure, but at least there was a part of Ren's schpeel that he could process.

Ren let out a heavy breath and sighed, closing his eyes as the rest of his body became heavy. "It's definitely strong," he said, "and it's definitely powerful, but if it's not me that's in control, how can I know if it's doing something I'll regret later?" Deep down, the voice of leveled curiosity - a part of his reason and a part of his wonder - asked if that was truly how the Avatar State worked.

 

What if the Avatar State, envoked by something he had yet to understand, was only doing what he himself _couldn't_? Fending off the Fire Nation had been one thing, but what if it was against someone specific? If it had somehow envoked against Hama, would he have then been able to finish the job properly by binding her in ice - or would he have dealt a final, killing blow and ended her terror there? He won against Hama because Toru had been there, making up for the lost time he had created by hesitating. Which perhaps begged the question of whether or not the Avatar State was meant to do what the Avatar couldn't, all in the name of reinstating balance.

 

"What if the people I care about, the friends I've made or will make in the future... You, Toru.." He picked his words carefully, pulling himself into an upright position and staring directly at the firebender, whose eyes widened in response. "What if I hurt you, or someone else while in the Avatar State? I wouldn't.... I _can't_ live with myself if I destroy everything just because of this ability I didn't ask for. I'm supposed to save, aren't I?"

The door to the cabin creaked shut, but neither of them noticed. They were too enraptured in the pressure that the cosmos had suddenly forced down on them.


	23. Chapter 23

'Wake up, Renya. There's trouble.'

Spurred awake by the sound of a woman's voice, Ren sat upright in his hammock. He had no memory of someone that sounded like this yet he couldn't help but feel like it was someone he should diligently listen to. There was no way for him to gage how much time had passed since he fell asleep. The little candlelight had been blown out a while ago, the wax was stiff, and there wasn't a single light beyond the porthole. Still, he could hear the voice telling him that something was wrong. Ren slipped his sandals on and crept out of the cabin.

No one else seemed to be awake at this time - from that, he could be sure that it was far too late. The deck was silent expect for the shifts of the sails and the waves that lapped against the hull of the ship. He wandered over to the edge, crossing his arms before leaning to look out at the water. Tonight, the moon was a waning gibbous - he knew his moon-lingo, miraculously - painting the midnight blue waters in its silvery glow. Despite the serenity, despite the _loss_ of the woman's voice, Ren could feel that something was wrong. 

He looked up at the sails; He looked to the water; He looked to the moon and let his stare linger. The woman's voice came again, far more clear than the first time: _'You're in danger, Renya.'_ Brow furrowing, the brunet finally turned his attention to the stars overhead. By no means was he able to map his way, and he didn't know the first thing about constellations, but when you live in the South Pole it's not too difficult to pick up on a few things. What struck the cautious nerve in his body was the positioning of one of the lower-hanging specks of light. Before boarding the Iylia, it had been laying on the right of the horizon and stayed there the further north they traveled. Now it was more so on the left, as if backtracking.

Startled, Ren looked to the moon with widened eyes. It - well, _she_ \- had been trying to warn him. However, she couldn't have possibly anticipated that he would soon be joined on the upper deck.

 

Torches flared alive with light, illuminating the ship and its passengers. Specifically the captain still dressed in her armoring pieces, hair still in a puffed top knot, and her face still painted with rich makeup. Her eyes held a darkness in them that was screaming right back at him. There were a few members of the crew as well, only three but it was obvious that they were just there for support. Ren scowled as he turned to face her, pushing away from the rail and taking steps to the side. They locked almost instantaneoulsy in a standoff, circling one another.

"Where are you taking us?" he demanded, hoping that his voice held steady despite his unease.

Kajiko smirked and flicked a tongue out over her lips. She began to curl a stray lock of hair around her finger, head tilting to the side. " _We_ are taking _you_ back to the Fire Nation," the auburnette responded simply. "I have a feeling we'd make a pretty penny for turning the Avatar in."

His stomach fell to his feet like an anchor, heavy and unlikely to be moved. He tried to keep his features as unreadable as possible - though the brunet was desperately wishing he had taken his water skin with him. Ren feigned ignorance as best he could, "What're you even talking about? Did you have a little too much to drink, Captain?"

"The Avatar," she began to say, "is a waterbender. You're a waterbender too, what a coincidence, right? But no ordinary waterbender has fears about losing control or hurting people because he's "not himself", as I believe you put it." Kajiko was toying with him. Ever since he boarded her ship, no doubt had she tied a lead to his ankle and was now bobbing him up and down in a merciless taunt. There was no denying her claims; her proud eyes told that much.

He kept his mouth shut. Hesitating with one foot crossed behind the other - frozen in mid-step - Ren had to ask himself how much this pirate really did know. The waterbending part was a lost cause to protect, especially after giving himself away so quickly upon their first encounter. It would've been easy to deny the portion about the Avatar but she just about _quoted_ his conversation with Toru. Had she been listening the entire time and they never noticed? Grinding his teeth, Ren gradually began to lift his arm. "So, what?" he asked, "You're just going to hand someone over to earn a quick buck?"

Kajiko waved a hand in front of her face, tensing as if preparing to fight him fairly. "Don't be so dramatic, Ren," she scolded. A playful yet equally devious smile curled across her face, eyes looking past him at something else.

 

She clearly had planned this whole thing. Ren snapped his arm up quickly, bringing with the motion a thin tendril of water directly from the ocean surrounding the Iylia. He couldn't even direct it at Kajiko, he couldn't land a single hit on her before a familiar pain seared against his arm. From over his shoulder came a quick burst of fire from the fist of her first mate Ahnid. It broke his concentration _and_ his stance, the Avatar staggering as he held the burn to his chest. Ahnid tackled him from behind, pinning his limbs to the floorboards. Ren couldn't move even if he wanted to, unable to shake off a person that had appeared to weigh less than him.

Grunting, he writhed underneath the weight. He only stopped when Kajiko pressed the heel of her boot against his temple. "It's just business," she told him with a cold tone, "It's nothing personal."

**. . .**


	24. Chapter 24

His skin was hot and clammy, giving him quite the rude awakening. Toru sat up in his hammock, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm. Light filtered in from the porthole, the spray of mist against the hull made a rainbow, and everything felt at peace with itself. Kind of hard to believe that the world was slowly dying beneath a tyrannical king. He ran a hand through his hair and took the time to wake up. Slowly, carefully, at his own pace. With the soft cradle of the ship against the sea, wrapped in a blanket as opposed to the unforgiving wind, he finally felt well rested. 

With a yawn, he looked around the cabin. It was empty, Ren's hammock partially turned inside out. The raven chuckled to himself and pulled on his shoes, rather optimistically wondering what the day held. No doubt were they making good time thanks to Kajiko and the Iylia. Once they decided a path to the North Pole - until the ship couldn't safely navigate the everlasting glaciers up there - the trek should only take about a month and a half. It definitely beat rocking away in a little lifeboat for God knows how long. Toru shrugged on his vest and exited the cabin, wandering around the lower deck out of his own curiosity.

Despite the events that had transpired, resulting in the capture of the crew, the Iylia was still the same. The empty hammocks of the lively crew were all knotted, perhaps the evidence of the eagerness to sail. Since Toru had never been the eager type, that was one of the blatantly obvious differences between him - a hopeless romantic, head over heels for a young captain - and the crew - men who _actually_ loved the sea.

 

He found the ladder up to the helm. Climbing up to meet the sun, the raven took great care to ignore the broken steps at the bottom from one of his....squabbles with Kajiko during the second year of their relationship. It never made sense as to why they never fixed it... It was just a bitter reminder, wasn't it?

Pushing open the hatch he pulled himself up onto the top deck, stretching in the warm sunlight. The helmsman didn't greet him and instead kept his gaze ahead, but that was fine. All Toru cared about was the wind that blew through his hair and the salty-sweet smell of the ocean. While he never did agree with the life of the navy or ship work, at the very least, the raven knew how to appreciate the simple pleasures of being on a boat. But the temperature was always unpredictable. Just last night it had been very mild, very easy on the body when adjusting vessel sizes or larger voyages. Somehow, though, there had to be a reason as to _why_ he woke up as clammy as he did, why his skin still felt so hit and the sweat along the crook of his elbow felt uncomfortable.

At the bough of the Iylia, beyond the lady-dragon at the crest, was a dark mass of land. It definitely wasn't the beginning of the Air Nomads' territory; it couldn't have been, because the hot, billowing clouds of steam, thicker than ship itself and heavier than ink, told him so. He choked on his own breath, anxiety prickling across his skin. You weren't a soldier, you weren't an upholder of law if you didn't know the island. The Boiling Rock Prison rested in the distance, the heat of its lake able to make every part of him sweaty, hot, and extremely petrified despite the distance.

"Why are we heading _away_ from the North Pole?" he asked the helmsman, only to not get an answer. Instead the pirate kept his stare, like usual, directly forward. It didn't help that he was now smiling in a dark way.

The door to the captain's quarters swung open and Kajiko stepped out onto the deck, head held high with her hands placed firmly at her hips. She knew he was standing there, because without even looking his way she began to speak. "We're returning to the Fire Nation," the woman announced, "to collect a handsome reward."

He scowled, coming to stand at the railing to look at her. "What do you mean reward--" Then he saw it. Ropes kept the waterbender from moving, tying him securely to the ship's center mast. He was gagged with a pearly white bandana around his mouth and his limbs were kept close to his body. How long had he been there, for one, but why was he _still_ there? Toru only had to think about it for a second longer before remembering how important movement seemed to be when waterbending. Even at the capital prison, Ren had directed his freezing breath with his hands and not just by exhaling. There was a methodical motion to the madness of bending, so without the use of his body, it was quite obvious that there was nothing he could do. His eyes were wide and desperate, but not necessarily pleading to be helped.

The firebender came down the steps slowly with a furrowed brow, his gaze briefly flicking to Ren then back to Kajiko. She turned around and only smiled. If nothing else, the woman was at ease with their situation. Nothing he said would change her mind - it never worked like that. "A reward," Toru interjected, "isn't really worth heading back... We could get arrested again." Honestly, that wasn't his _main_ concern, but it was definitely one of them.

Kajiko didn't seem to mind. Waving a hand dismissively in front of her face, she shifted her weight to one foot. She responded, "They'll grant us immunity for a while." Despite the sheer insanity of her statement, her tone suggested that she believed it 100%. At his questioning stare, the smile twisted grimly. "Unless they want to go on another hundred-year search for the Avatar, they won't mess with us." The hidden meaning - deeply hidden or right on the surface - made his blood run cold. Kajiko was more than willing, and more than capable, of killing another human being. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, the only reason she never truly killed Toru during their fights was because of the connotation of their relationship. That was _it_.

Knowing full well that he would lose this fight, Toru stepped forward. His voice was much more difficult to grab hold of, constantly slipping off his tongue before he could force out a sound. Deep down, he _definitely_ didn't want to do this. He didn't want to end up in a fight that would result in his butt being handed to him, or to make things uncomfortable. Kajiko wasn't just someone you could resist if you wanted to keep your arms in one solid piece. "You can't..." Toru's voice hitched. "You can't just... I can't just let you do this, Kaji.. He's just a kid."

 

He could feel them before they touched. Coming out of the captain's quarters as if waiting this entire time, a few members of the crew grabbed his arms and shoulders, limiting his movements. Because he had noticed them just seconds before, it should've been easy work to brush them off or hold them back. Something still kept the raven from instigating a fight. He pulled against them and clenched his jaw, sweat beading down his temple as Kajiko came closer. 

Dragging a slender finger against the side of his jaw, she smiled. "I gave you the benefit, honey bear, considering our history." Her tone screamed her indifference, her expression appeared light yet held what felt like years of darkness. No matter which way you took it, her words didn't match her actions. The way her eyes glinted threateningly said that Toru should've actually attacked when he had the chance. He messed up.

"But he can save the world," the raven found himself arguing. He didn't entirely believe that there was a world left to truly save in the first place, or that Ren would be able to save it just because he was destined to. None of it made sense so maybe this was a way of bargaining... Right? "He can make everything better but not if you lock him away, or kill him, Kaji."

She barked out a bitter laugh, "It's as good as it's gonna get. We don't need him - or the Avatar - anymore. I could've let you go too, you know. But two months ago? You didn't let me out of jail, Toru, so I had to break myself out. I wouldn't mind tossing you overboard as is." Kajiko lifted her hand and gestured with the snap of her fingers. Something heavy scraped against the boards of the deck from behind, metal chains clinked against each other. Looking over his shoulder, he barely had a chance to react when a shackle was clasped tightly around his ankle. Steel was heavy enough as is - now, chained to a cinder block, Toru had a pretty good idea of how serious the captain was.

"It's nothing _too_ personal, my love," Kajiko apologized with a lighthearted tone. Behind her, the biggest member of the crew began to push a plank out over the water.

A muffled voice shouted against their gag, the ropes grinded against the small splinters of the mast. This prompted the auburnette to turn around. Ren looked horrified now as he struggled with all his might. His fingers curled against the knots, scraping and scratching out of desperation to break free. Even with his long hair a distorted mess around his face, when his cornflower blue eyes caught the light of the sun, it wasn't hard to hear his voice in your head; and he was _pleading_. Kajiko only laughed.


	25. Chapter 25

The air remained hot, unforgiving in his lungs. They were sailing closer to the Boiling Rock and, in less than an hour so long as the wind kept filling the sails, they would reach it. It stood as the Avatar's final destination at the hands of the Iylia's crew; Toru's stop was out in the middle of the water. 

For good measure, Kajiko took the time to shackle up his wrists as well. "Can't have you trying to burn us, now can we?" she had teased. Now he was slowly edging his way out to the middle of the wooden plank. The only reason he wasn't hesitating as much was because the crew pointed swords at his back - and Ahnid was a firebender, ready to deal a provoking blast if need be. 

Toru's mind flooded with panic and incoherent thoughts. All he could think about was how he was going to die out there in the ocean, sunken to the bottom and unable to see the world ever again. Not that it interested him to begin with, but what of his little brother? His doom was sealed and he would never even have a _chance_ to see him again. How on earth was he supposed to take that? In stride, with a grain of salt? Absolutely not! Of course he didn't want to die, this sucked! He looked over his shoulder. To his annoyance and distress, Kajiko put on a classic pirate captain's hat ornamented with a large, fluffy blue feather. This must've been a proud moment for her.

She put her foot on the base of the plank, smiling gleefully. Unless he jumped first, no doubt would the auburnette push the board off of the ship. Yet at the same time, there was a slight, prideful hesitation to her. "Just in case it wasn't clear," Kajiko mocked, "we're through. Though I'm sure you already knew that, right?"

"Yeah," he answered thickly, "It was kind of obvious.."

 

After pulling his thoughts away from the painfully obvious and heavy pressure of oncoming doom - he had to be a little dramatic, right? - Toru finally looked over his other shoulder. Ren was staring right back at him, still struggling, resisting, and pulling against ropes that refused to budge. He shook his head frantically, his eyes begged that he find another solution. ' _Even if it means joining a psycho lady and getting you killed?_ ' the raven silently asked.

' _Yes! Even if it means that, I'm not worth your life!_ '  
Was that something the teen would say? Is he so selfless as to give up his life in order for someone else to live? Or did he just hate living that much? At first, it was hard to tell. The only reason Toru figured it out was through the wet trails streaking down the other's face, like he seriously meant everything Toru was making up in his head. Yeah, right..

The plank wobbled underneath him. He yelped, staggering and nearly falling off before he reached the tip. Dropped to his knees, the raven did his best to _ignore_ the laughter leaving Kajiko's mouth. She was the only one laughing, yet it was louder than the roar of a raging sea. Again and again she slammed her boot down on the wooden board, jostling it as mocks passed her lips. "Hurry up, Toru, we haven't got all day. I want you to do it yourself so that I won't look like a murderer~" When he didn't move, her tone became icy and dark in a heartbeat.

Stepping up onto the plank completely, Kajiko swiped a sword from one of her men and prodded forward, her movements carefully oriented. In moments her demeanor had changed, thus bringing about the version of Kajiko that scared him the most. He barely brought himself to a hunched stand when the curved tip of the blade rested at his jugular. He couldn't look her in the eyes. "Make this easy on yourself," she snarled, "because you _know_ I have no problem pushing you off or cutting you apart. Get out of my way already. I have a ship to run."

 

All at once, the atmosphere changed _drastically_. The water receded from the ship, lowering it a good foot before a new wave swelled up at the bough. A crewmate cried out in alarm, men scrambled, and Kajiko dropped the sword into the ocean below. It slammed into the lady-dragon on the ship's crest and forced the vessel to lean back, practically running parallel to the wave. Toru fell from the plank for the increasingly aggressive waves below, dragged down by the stone weight on his leg. He braced himself for the impact, expecting to get smacked against the side of the ship or knocked silly by the currents but it never happened. Instead, something snagged the chain link that connected his wrists together.

Partnered with the unyielding pull of the weight, something in his leg popped, causing him to grunt in pain. Toru blinked the tears and sea spray out of his eyes, pain gathering in his hip and shoulder from the rivaling forces. Yet, the question remained, what caught him? He looked upward just as the wave rushed alongside the ship's hull, throwing the vessel back onto the surface rather than up. To his surprise, Kajiko hung from the plank with one hand and just barely maintained a grip on his chains with the other. She had always been strong so maybe he _shouldn't_ have been so surprised.. Her hat was caught in the growing torrent of wind, fluttering away from the boat.

It wouldn't last forever. Especially with what felt like a storm brewing. Kajiko shouted in a booming voice that rivaled the slamming winds to her crew, and in very little time at all they were both being pulled up onto the deck. "What is happening?!" asked the spindly first mate. Toru, as reluctant as he was, recognized the energy that shook his body like an earthquake. 

"It's Ren..!" he answered. All heads turned towards the mast, where their captive's eyes were glowing brightly. Wind surrounded him, whipping his hair around his face. As time went on, they were only getting stronger, and the waves that matched were doing the same. Toru practically shoved his shackles in Kajiko's face. "Get me _out_ of these!" She did with very little hesitation, always having been more level-headed when the situation called for it. Shedding his shackles and heavy weight, the firebender sprung to his feet, adrenaline spiking through his veins.

 

Last time Ren had done this, had entered the Avatar State, it was much more controlled and fluid like a river... It hadn't felt dangerous to him, nor had it been so sporadic. This time, however, Toru legitimately worried about what would happen next. Air gathered around the Avatar in a compressed ball, ripping his gag off of his face before expanding outward. The rope's knots were forced loose and, now free of its binding hold, he stood up. That should've been enough but it wasn't; he was out of danger, so it should've stopped. 

It didn't.

Instead, the expanding sphere of air rushed out even faster, slamming into every single body on the deck. They were thrown back against the wall of the elevated deck, pressed together like compact fish in a tin. No one could move their bodies even after the gale subsided, slumping together on the floor. Toru rubbed his head, ransacking his brain in search of some kind of explanation. Hell, he didn't know what was happening to begin with! He didn't know how or why this occurred, or why it still persisted. All that he did know was the sensation of adrenaline being replaced with fear as Ren began to move his arms.

Water surged into either side of the boat and rose in a thin sheet that, when it came dropping down to the deck, solidified into a sharpened blade of ice. The floorboards were cut neatly, splintering off in every which way. Now, it didn't cut very close to the center, but as time went on it did, and each new blade cut completely through. This onslaught came again and again, striking from alternating sides, relentlessly following the quick movements of the brunet's body. It moved like a cycle; each time the ice blade reached the water below the ship, it resurged back around in an endless rotation of liquid water to ice. 

A horrible creaking sound of wood groaning from immense strain echoed in Toru's ears. Kajiko slammed her hand against the wall at her back. "The ship..!" she cried over the roar of water, "It's gonna break in half whether he keeps it going or not!" In return, her crew began to shout in panic. They were afraid, and why shouldn't they be? A powerful being was breaking apart their ship so effortlessly yet making it feel as slow as picking the petals off a flower one by one. She turned her head to the raven next to her, tightly gripping his shoulder. "We need to abandon ship, Toru! Let's go!"

He almost nodded. He almost agreed with her about abandoning and joined her in the efforts to get everyone off the vessel. Almost. All he could hear, clear as day like it was his own voice, was the conversation from last night. Though the person half a ship away had glowing eyes, a nearly unreadable expression, and appeared to feel nothing as they broke through an entire pirate ship with ease remained silent, the words flowed so naturally. " _I'm supposed to save, aren't I?_ " Toru heard him ask. Something the raven didn't know quite yet was how dangerous it was to try and interrupt an Avatar in the Avatar State, especially when they themselves were not in control. All he knew of was how close to him he had been the first time, and that this shouldn't have been any different.

Kajiko yelled desperately, trying to get him to answer her instead of being so entranced by the destruction that was tearing the Iylia apart. They were running out of time - it was now or never! Toru brushed her off, clenching his jaw before pushing away from the wall at his back. The wind wasn't as strong as it was before, but it was still a pain to fight. There was still the growing gap in the middle of the ship he had to worry about, gaping open like the mouth of an abyss as the ice continued to break it in half. Toru threw himself forward, bringing his fists behind him to expel hot, powerful flames that carried him over the break.

He hit the deck rolling, climbing up to his feet before continuing his approach. Lifting his arms against the wind, the raven shielded his face. Repeatedly, he shouted over the wind and the water, calling as many times as he could. "Ren..! Kid, _hey_!"

**. . .**


	26. Chapter 26

He didn't feel anything in his body itself, yet there was no denying the burn in his eyes, or in his head, or in his soul, or in his heart. He knew he was hurting, but didn't know why. As far as Ren could tell, it was like he was asleep, head hanging limp and eyes shut. Wasn't he just drifting away? Wasn't that all this was? Wind roared in his ears, water rushed against his arms. The elements were acting of their own accord and unleashing havoc. What were they attacking? What was making them do it?

' _Was it me..?_ ' he asked himself.

The brunet opened his eyes, vision blurred with what he assumed to be tears. He couldn't lift his head or see past his feet, but he knew he wasn't on the ship anymore. The familiar stone of the temple balcony told him as much. A warm presence at his side also said that he wasn't alone. How could he be, at a time like this..? In a place like this? Of course the kid he couldn't name or identify stood there.

When the Avatar State first triggered, it had been a reaction towards physical endangerment he otherwise wouldn't have been able to escape. Be that as it may, somehow it acted with more control, like something was consciously keeping it in check. Once he and Toru were both out of the Fire Nation's immediate clutches, the state was revoked and Ren, weak, remembered nothing of the time.

He... He knew that he was in the middle of the Avatar State now, he just didn't know why. Physically, the brunet had been safe, but Toru hadn't. It was painful and devastating to watch him be taunted, standing over what would be his death at the hands of a girl he used to love. That kind of thing hurt so damn much..! Not only that, but as selfish as it sounded, Ren was terrified of losing the raven. His only comrade, his only _friend_ , and because he had been tied up earlier there was nothing he could do. Unable to bring his arms up to cover his face, he squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists, asking, "How could I be so useless? I can't protect him and he's the only one I have left, so what good am I if there's nothing I can do..!?"

Lifting his head, Ren wanted nothing more than to keep his eyes closed and stay like that - frozen in time, in a place comforting yet unfamiliar - for all of eternity. Was that too much to ask for?

An unfamiliar pressure covered the sides of his neck, several elongated points converged at the base of his skull, tangling up in his long locks of hair. That was when the wind started, ripping through his bangs and clothes like a storm. From the contact, warmth seeped through his skin, radiating in every direction and giving him a sensation he could actually feel. The nothing started to change as well, until it wasn't the temple that rested under his feet but, instead, aged wood, while cold water that ran over the tops of his toes.

A voice called out to him. Initially, he couldn't hear it clearly, or understand the words it shouted. Now it was louder, directly in his ears and overpowering the wild torrents: "Ren, you're okay..!" In response, his entire body went rigid, latching onto the voice like a lifeline. "I'm right here, kid!" they continued to shout, "I'm right here! I've got you, buddy, don't worry!" 

His arms that had, unbeknownst to him, raised over his head, stopped moving, the raging wind and water slowing with it. Finally, he began to open his eyes, staring beyond the blur of tears at a face so close to his own. Rusted amber orbs stared right back, black locks whisked around their face, practically battling the longer, dark brown ones. A familiar form took shape and the wind finally stopped; the water that was rising up along the sides of the ship slowed and solidified into ice, its mist turning to soft, weightless snow.

Ren heard the kid's voice in his head, letting out a wishful, hopeful, and heavy sigh, _"It's nice, isn't it? To have someone around?"_  
He could only agree.

 

Lowering his arms back to his sides, the Avatar regained full consciousness - as well as sensation in his body - but refused to see beyond the man in front of him. Toru offered a small smile, his fingers that were tangled in the other's hair tightening their weight at the base of his skull. "There you go..." he croaked softly, his voice rough from shouting over the wind, "Welcome back, buddy.."

"T-Toru..?" Ren stuttered, his legs turning to gelatin as weakness seeped throughout his entire body. He had no control of the broken voice that left his mouth, or the tears that poured from his eyes. "Toru, I... I can't believe- _Why_ did I....! I didn't mean to, but it happened.. And I'm so, so sorry, I don't know what I did, and I... I..!" Desperation had him grabbing onto the raven's sleeves and arms - whatever he could gather up in his hands - before collapsing against the larger male. Toru lowered to the deck with him, the hands that were pressed securly on either side of Ren's neck now moving to pull him closer.

Soothing hushes joined with his faltering sobs. Deep down, the brunet didn't want to make Toru uncomfortable with the closeness, but god did he need it more than he needed to breathe. He didn't want to see the damage he had dealt, because he could somehow feel it; like, during his time in the Avatar State, he was _aware_ of what he had done. That just made things worse. Still, Toru attempted to comfort him. "I've got you, buddy," he whispered, "You're okay, you're still here.. Everything's okay." Ren squeezed his eyes shut, falling from the raven's arms and into his lap, legs sprawled out behind him. He clung to his waist and sobbed, shaking with his guilt and shame. The way he saw it, he had just committed a terrible act by _letting_ himself attack a lone ship. Even if he hadn't been in full control, it was still him. This was what he just about hated with the Avatar - one of many things, really.

 

The only reason the ship wasn't breaking apart anymore was because of the ice that held it together. As it turned out, all water that touched the vessel on all of its broken boards, levels, and posts had turned to a deeply-frozen solid, acting as a temporary glue even in the summer heat. Kajiko approached slowly, her crew standing at her back with their heads down. Maybe they saw an error in their ways by trapping the Avatar the way that they had; maybe the captain saw something none of them understood. She stopped behind Toru and struggled to find her words. She started, "I didn't... I didn't mean..."

"Come any closer, Kajiko," Toru suddenly cut in, not looking back at her and keeping his attention primarily on the blubbering, trembling teen in his lap who was growing silent from exhaustion, "and I will not lose this time."

"Yeah... I know.."


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey aboard the Iylia gets cut short. Somehow, Ren and Toru will need to find a NEW way around to the North Pole; all while avoiding the Fire Nation's clutches.

It was expected to take at _least_ a month until they reached the frigid waters of the North Pole. By the end of the second week, the Iylia had sailed up to the Air Nomad territories and ghosted along its southern coastline. Kajiko couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to pass through the territory itself using a passage canal that cut through, or if she wanted to cross between the territory and what used to be the Earth Kingdom. Unfortunately, there was no time to decide. While Ren and Toru were on the middle deck - still miraculously kept together by frequently reinforced ice, the waterbender's way of redeeming himself - the latter showing the former how to properly fight in hand-to-hand combat, she erupted from the captain's quarters.

Her gaze refused to stay on Ren very long, and she even had a hard time keeping her stare level with Toru's; the firebender had become far more standoffish towards her ever since the incident that nearly tore the ship apart. Still, they were respectable adults. "What is it?" he asked her. Curious as well, Ren lowered his guard and rubbed at the darkening bruises on his upper arm. The brunet still wasn't back to being healthy, so he bruised far more easily than he should've, and he was often overpowered. It would change eventually, but it took time he didn't know if he could waste.

"We're coming up on the passage stream," Kajiko answered, her lips pursed in a thin line, "but I saw it through my window and... The Fire Nation is already there."

By that point, the rest of the crew had come to join them on the upper level. Tension rippled through the gathered bodies like a skipping stone. Perhaps it was just mere chance that the Fire Nation - warships, the naval forces she made it seem like - were there by coincidence; good timing on their part, terrible on the Iylia's. "They hadn't patrolled the area before now," the captain went on to explain, "They probably have a good idea of whre you're going, Ren. If we get any closer, they'll no doubt try to sink us. Attempting to cross near the occupied Earth Kingdom is too risky."

Valid. Completely valid. The Avatar bit his lip and crossed his arms, racking through his brain in search of a solution. He could feel their eyes on him, burning a hole through his body with relative ease. It was on him to come up with an answer to the problem, because it was _him_ that wanted to get to the North Pole. Whether or not they followed through was up to the captain herself. Ren spared a glance at Toru, who was also looking at him rather expectantly. "Do you still have our lifeboat?" he asked out loud.  
Kajiko nodded.

He unfolded his arms, saying, "Then we'll split off here. We... I'll head to the Earth Kingdom on the lifeboat and figure it out from there."

**~#~**

Ren stood at the bough of the ship. The Iylia's sails, pumped full with air, carried the ship towards the delta that would've carried them all through for the North Pole. Though they had gotten off on the wrong foot - extremely so - he was immensely grateful for the help of the crew. Thanks to Kajiko and her men, neither Toru nor Ren had to rock along in their small boat quietly, braving the elements of the sea for months on end. In addition to that, their travel distance was reduced. Hopefully they would reach the North Pole before the end of fall; summer itself was already nearing its end and he knew it.

Waiting until he knew that the patrolling warships caught sight of the oncoming vessel, he took a careful, easing breath. Pressure built up quickly, the surface of the water trembled under his influence. He brought his arms up and a massive expansion of steam overtook the Iylia. Trails spread every which way, hiding the ship and whatever direction it may take from prying eyes. 

 

The plan was to make it seem like this suspicous pirate ship was _going_ to cut through the territory using the water passage. Suspicious ship and suspiciously made steam? It was convincing enough. Ren turned away, about to rejoin the bustling crew on the main deck when the captain stopped him, standing there with her arms crossed in front of her chest. His eyes widened and he froze mid-step. He was still wary of her, having avoided the woman as much as possible during their journey north. 

Kajiko took a small breath and raised her head to meet his gaze. Honey clashed with blue, sharp met rounded. She opened her mouth to speak in gentle tones. "I..." she began, "I actually have family in the Earth Kingdom.. Now, I know I don't have any right asking you for a favor, especially after what I did, but... Ren, if you somehow find them or meet them during your journey to become the Avatar, then.." Kajiko took another breath, like calling him such came as shock for her entire body. He understood that much at least. "Could you help them? I know they're scared, and I know they don't want to live in fear forever. Even if you help them with their work that would be good enough for me, so just... _Please._ " She bowed deeply, nearly dropping to her knees in order to press her head against the floorboards. 

All at once, Ren felt like he knew who this person was. He shouldn't have been so cautious of her. "I might disappoint you, you know," he told her, "I'm not...completely good. If I find them, all they might get is a lousy waterbender with a lot of issues."

"It's enough," Kajiko insisted. She raised her head and wore a wishful smile on her face. The pride that ruled her movements, ruled her features and her tone, was washed away. Beneath it all had been a girl that _wanted_ to look forward to the future. A life of pirating fit her well, sure, but her ambition spread beyond that. Standing there in such a hopeful glow was almost...humbling.. "Anything is enough, I promise. Issues or no issues, bending or no bending. Avatar or no Avatar.."

 

They returned to the middle deck, where Toru and the crew were lowering the beaten up lifeboat down to the water. It was loaded with a few things already, even before Ren had even attempted to "pack". He turned to Kajiko, eyebrow raising in question. In response, she laughed and tucked her hands behind her back. "Parting gifts," she explained, "You don't have enough to last, you know that, right?"

"...Might've had an idea."

"Nice. Well, you'll need jackets the further north you go, and fall is fairly unforgiving as you head up. I've also _kindly_ included some blankets, a couple packs with supplies for surviving in the wild. Don't give me that look, Toru--"  
The firebender chuckled and turned away, hands raised in defeat.  
"You'll be able to start fires better, and carve your way around if you get forced onto land. Think about it, will ya? You won't always be able to bend."

Now, it was Ren's turn to bow to her. He did it in the way he did to the firebender after the practice fights and to Zaken as well, bringing his hands together. It was his way to show respect, not just for the things she had done but for who she was; who he he now understood her to be. "Thank you, Kajiko.. I'm sorry about your ship. I hope you can get it fixed, and that you don't mind me taking Toru with me."

She waved a hand by her face, soon placing it on his shoulder instead. "Don't want him," she answered bluntly, "I think he's moved on from this kind of life anyways."

 

The two males climbed down the rope ladder into their boat, settling themselves in before it was hoisted away. Toru hesitated to sit down at first and put his hand against the side of the boat - taking care to ignore the frozen break in the wood. Ren seated himself near the back of the boat with his arms crossed over his knees, watching carefully through his bangs. For a moment, it seemed like the raven wanted to...to stay behind. Kajiko said he had moved on, but had he really? 

"I won't stop you," he suddenly said, causing Toru to divert his gaze, "if you wanna stay here.."

This caused him to smile and roll his shoulders, giving the Iylia a quick pat before sitting near the front. He scooped up an oar, dipped the blade into the water, and began to paddle away before answering. "I rather not," Toru assured him, "Pirating and I never really agreed with each other in the first place."

Ren brought his oar to the waves as well, matching the strokes of the other. "Oh? But being a wanted criminal is better?"

"Who knows.."

**~#~**

The steam cover settled way too soon. Toru and Ren were already past the wide delta, paddling out into open ocean for a shaded form in the distance when it did. The Iylia, however, was still in plain sight as it pointed to the western coast. Everything would've been fine if they... If Kajiko hadn't...! The naval warships spewed black smoke from their towers, they spurred forward for the pirate ship. The crew of the Iylia could've gotten away with a warning if they hadn't _attacked_. A flaming projectile knocked harmlessly into the metal hull of a warship and Ren nearly threw himself overboard as panic set his body ablaze. 

Toru had to stop him, snagging onto his thin body with one arm and continuing to paddle with the other. He wasn't looking back like the teen was, nor was he shouting over and over again about how they needed to help. Even when Ren screamed in his ear, "It's Big and San all over again, I can't let it happen!" the raven still didn't act. The way he saw it, and the way he attempted to comfort the other later that night, was that Kajiko never did things without a reason. They wouldn't be killed on sight, only apprehended. She was one crazy captain...


	28. Chapter 28

"They'll track us with the boat," Toru was saying as he patted the sand off of his shoes, "Once they find it, they'll have a pretty good idea where we went."

"No they won't," Ren simply countered, grinding his teeth as he stood with his pants rolled up over his knees. Cool water slapped repeatedly against the exposed skin of his legs and turned it a raw shade of red. He gave a small grunt before pushing the now-empty boat further out from shore, practically walking it as far as he dared to tread without needing to roll up his pants any more. 

The raven watched from the dusty beach with an anxious expression. The longer he stood out there, the more exposed he felt. It had been two days since they separated from the Iylia and its captain. One would imagine that they shook the Fire Nation off their trail, but no, because the smell of smoke in the air suggested that the patrol covered more than the delta in the western territories. He cupped a hand around his mouth, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders. "Hurry it up, kid!" Toru called, "We need to get moving or else we'll get stuck here until _after_ winter passes!"

Ren waved dismissively over his shoulder. The currents began to take the lifeboat beyond reach, causing it to float west again rather than the direction they were trying to dupe their followers with. Not a problem, though, not that it could ever be one. A hand raised over his head came back down slowly, following a wide, sweeping motion that felt like it carried his whole body with it. This brought up a small, diverging wave to the boat's belly that carried it ahead, fighting against the soft waves and churns of the ocean. He kept the guiding hand up. Now that the vessel had a direction, Ren brought the other hand to his chest. In a quick knocking-motion, the hand at his chest came forward and the one that was raised came back. A second wave, faster and more powerful, was what propelled the boat to the north at a staggering pace.

"That way," he proceeded to explain with a proud voice, raising both hands over his head as he began the trudging walk back to shore, "we'll look like we're covering more ground and haven't stopped."

The firebender rolled his eyes and stooped to pick up the additional pack Kajiko had given them, shaking off the sand before tossing it to Ren. "Would you like a medal?" he asked, his tone a little shrill compared to usual. "Come on, let's just get going..."

**~#~**

There was no real way for them to gage their distance. Sticking to the coastline was essentially all the two could do in order to make sure they were going the right way. More and more warships were patrolling the waters surrounding the western and northern coast of the Earth Kingdom, making it difficult to stick to the beaches. "Think they know?" Ren found himself asking. "Think they have an idea of where we're going?"

Toru didn't answer.

**~#~#~**

A week passed.

Ren extended his hand, letting it glide against the thin leaves of reeds sticking out from the mud of a riverbank. The northwestern terrain of the Earth Kingdom, the boy quickly discovered, was incredibly lush, thick, and rugged, marked by rugged hills and dense coniferous forests. Finding a river was like a godsend, no matter how mucky its shores were. His legs were finally strong again - like, legitimately strong - and his body no longer felt like lead. For the first time in years, the teen felt healthy. He also felt a bit disappointed by the height difference. Upon being freed from his prison, Toru _looked_ about a head taller than him. Nothing too drastic or complaint-worthy. But now that the teen was feeling above par and could rightfully complain? It was honestly about a **foot** of difference.

Irritated, he asked, "Is your family naturally tall or something?" 

For the first real time since they abandoned their boat he got a reaction out of the raven. Toru glanced over his shoulder, fingers curled around a reed he was pulling back. "You're just really short," he mocked. The reed snapped free of his strain. It cracked like a whip against the exposed skin of Ren's arm, causing the teen to yelp in a combination of shock and pain. It was more like insult to injury at that point! 

Rubbing the raw mark on his forearm, he hissed in a slight breath. "I'm not _that_ short.." he grumbled. 

"Even Kajiko was taller than you." 

A friendly atmosphere fell over them. During the entirety of their tedious trek across the Earth Kingdom, Toru hardly spoke much outside of fire-side conversations before bed. He was tense, cautious of their surrondings to the point of paranoia. It was only natural that one of them be anxious - despite it being such a killjoy - making this a nice change of pace. Ren suffered from the slamming of his height, but it stood to be at least a little bit worth it. He stuck out his tongue, rolling his eyes and saying, "I'll grow eventually. My parents weren't that short, and neither was my aunt." 

Toru slowed his pace so that they walked side by side. The pace of their walk, as a result, also slowed down to a more leisurely stroll. His hand that was gripping on the rope strap of the sack lowered to his side and he arched an eyebrow. "I don't mean to disappoint you," the raven teased, "but you're almost eighteen. Kids don't grow anymore after that. Seriously, though, how old were you when you got locked up..?" 

The teen racked his brain. "Like... Fifteen?" 

Silence. Toru filled his cheeks with air, letting it all escape in a heavy puff. "Even I know how crucial of growth period that is... And you couldn't move, right? At all?"

"Nope."

"Look, buddy, I'll agree that you aren't naturally this short-"  
A menacing glare.  
"-but it's hard to catch up again. You didn't get to eat enough to actually grow, and you couldn't stretch your body out. Once you get on a regular diet, then maybe you can steal back a couple of inches."

It felt like they were dishing out some tough news. Not everyone got to be tall, not everyone got to be naturally muscular, so it didn't _need_ to be spoke about like "I'm sorry to say this" or whatever. Actually, it WAS whatever. Ren rolled his shoulders. "Oh well," he answered, "a couple inches is better than nothing." Simple, peaceful conversation... It was almost as if they weren't fugitives on the run. 

  


##### [Meanwhile, inside the Fire Nation's Royal Palace. . .]

Many months had passed since the last time the Fire Lord called someone that _wasn't_ an overly important militant leader to the throne room. At the same time, it wasn't the first. With her hands tucked neatly and securely in bell styled sleeves, she moved like a shadow through the corridor. When the guards saw her approaching, they knew better than to delay her any further. Instantly, they stepped aside, allowing clear access into the room.

Under the reign of Fire Lord Ozai, the throne room never ceased to glow with his fiery, ambitiously hot orange flames. She saw it only once in childhood. Now, all that she visualized whenever it came to mind was the throne room bathed in a cold, merciless blue. Her head remained high, her stare remained steady, but she didn't bother to look at the Fire Lord directly. Once close enough, the raven haired woman lowered to her knees before the throne and bowed her head. It wasn't in her character to be so obedient to such a person - not eighteen years ago, at least - but times have changed.  
This time, she had a goal that the Fire Lord could exploit.

"Come now," said the Fire Lord, speaking with a warm tone but not moving from her seat of power, "we're friends, right? I may have summoned you here but there's no need to be so formal with me." A bold-faced lie. Formalities were the only thing holding the two together. That was why the Fire Lord, contradictory to her claim of friendliness, remained where she was. Without a word from her visitor, the woman proceeded to speak. "I have a task for you, Mai. You still wanted to find Zuzu, right?"

Only then did Mai lift her head, tawny eyes cold and unreadable. The only thing that dominated her aura, that created tension in her body, was anger. _This_ was that goal Fire Lord Azula knew how to exploit. As such, the Fire Lord rested her hands in her lap, tilting her head as if to gesture. "That's what I thought," she remarked, "Now, you remember that punishment my father gave Zuko, don't you?"

**~#~#~#~**


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple stop on the full moon leads to something **great.** There is no better friend than the moon.

A full moon glowed overhead, casting a silvery light across the humid coastline. Summer was approaching its end - give it another month, maybe two. It wasn't easy work trying to figure out where exactly they were on such a massive land mass. All either of the males could hope for was that they were actually heading north. 

With the night, a full month since the time spent in Hama's village, Ren grew painfully aware of the tug in his veins. He let Toru set up camp about a mile away from the shore while he wandered off. It probably would've been better to help, to distract himself, but he didn't know how to ignore the sensation in his body. All it took was a powerful, matured sense of reason to combat it. Full moon? No problem. Weird bending technique? Ignore it - you've never needed it before.

Someone explain to him why he felt compelled to...to practice. Was it because he knew the motions? Because he could only do it once a month? Bloodbending was INCREDIBLY unnecessary, yet Ren couldn't shake the nagging sensation in the back of his mind that said he should do it, "just to be sure". He found himself standing in the middle of a rolling plain; the first semblance of open space they'd encountered in miles, even if it was beset on all sides by the same thick trees. Field mice rustled through the grass, bugs chirped and sang to each other. The scene was just as silver as the sand on the beaches. The moon saw it all.

He looked up to the stars, swallowing a thick lump in his throat. With his voice coming out as barely more than a whisper, he prayed to the moon. A simple, curt apology. "Sorry..."

 

After twenty minutes, the waterbender threw himself onto the ground. His subject of practice - his _victim_ \- scurried off for its nest, squeaking in a way that grated painfully on his ears. It had been so brief, so quick, that the barrage of insults, curses, and self-loathing he flung around his head shouldn't have been necessary. Yet, all Ren could see in his head was Hama. His excuse of "just to be sure" turned into "just a little bit is fine", making the contents of his stomach churn once he realized. The taste in his mouth felt bitter like bile and his entire body ached. Bloodbending required a more sturdy stance, more connected to the earth it felt like, and moving his arms had been an ordeal, heavy weights struggling against the resistance in a living body.

Trying to do it had been of his own subconscious pride; quitting was courtesy of his morals sucker punching him in the face.

Ren put his hands in his lap and crossed his legs. He looked up at the sky again, worried that the moon would scorn him for his choice of action. At the very least, he expected a face to appear along the moon's surface, shaking its head in disappointment or glaring him into submission. What ended up greeting him, instead, was the same glow of the same rocky form and the blanketing, star filled sky. All of the aggression came from within himself; the moon had nothing to say on the matter. It wasn't the moon that compelled him to try the dark technique, but himself, his own anxiety saying that it was important to learn it. 

So why was he breathing easily? Why did the ache disappear and the grossness layering his taste buds dissolve into nothing? He stared up at the open expanse of sky, feeling light and weightless. No time passed - the moon didn't sink any lower, or higher, or move from the middle of the sky - but it felt like _years_ had gone by. Ren was absorbed by the moon's soft glow, watching it like one would watch an hourglass. 

Each grain of pearly sand rolling down the curvatures of its glass container; Gentle flittering to the bottom of the stand; Soft, feather-like spilling into a smooth mound.  
The moon had a similar appeal - practically therapuetic..

 

Ren let out a gentle sigh, lowering his head. If nothing else, the waterbender was feeling better about it. It wasn’t the bloodbending - even if he practiced it, it still didn’t make it any better - but the focus was on himself. No more judgment to bring him down all thanks to a voiceless moon. He closed his eyes, the knuckles of his hands brought limply together in his lap. His hands weren't tense, just resting against each other while he breathed. The waterbender, briefly, wished he could feel that comfortable with his thoughts forever.

**. . .**

Toru left the makeshift campsite after what felt like an eternity. Leaving his belongings to the mercy of the wildlife wasn't exactly his _preferred_ choice, but at the same time his teenage companion hadn't returned from his walk. Paranoia initially made him wonder if the Fire Nation had appeared out of the blue; slight annoyance made him think that Ren had gotten lost. Whatever the case may have been, finding Ren would've been better than just casually waiting around. There was no need to bring a torch with him, because even without firelight, the moon being so full lit up everything around him. Ignoring the events of the previous month, full moons were naturally so incredible... Even a firebender like him could agree with that.

Just... Ignore the events of the siege on the North Pole that soldiers talked about for weeks afterwards and it was fine.

He followed the gently pressed path through the grass, grateful that the tall blades of green had yet to stand up straight after Ren went trudging through. Though, if the teen had gotten lost, wouldn't that be a way for him to come back? _'He's bright enough to figure it out,'_ Toru thought to himself with a chuckle. _'Well, probably.'_ As he walked farther and farther away from camp, no longer able to smell the burning fire wood in the breeze, something struck him as odd. Maybe it was the air that felt tense, or the way the wind passed like a softly radiating wave, but something was different. 

It felt unnatural, yet weirdly natural at the same time; Wrong, yet so incredibly right. Creatures that normally would've been in hiding, he found, were poking out from their small dens and burrows across the grassy hills. Just by following the gently trodden path alone, Toru saw more rodents picking around than there were species native to the environment. He crossed over a hill and jumped as he nearly crossed paths with a fox and her kits. They weren't hunting, either, just walking through the soft grass. Then, the raven saw it.

 

The moon seemed like it was casting a singular, rounded spotlight down over the teen. That kind of occurrence wasn't natural by any means, perhaps a trick his eyes were playing on him. Still, even if it was a trick, there was no explanation for why the silvery glow was brighter the closer to Ren he got. As Toru approached, coming down the hill to where the brunet sat with his legs crossed in the small valley between rises, he noticed that the energy in the air was, without a doubt, different - radiating, moving, everything in between. Everything he noticed in the world around him, including the weird behavior of the creatures, suddenly made sense. His slowly extending hand snapped back before it could even graze Ren's shoulder.

He was sitting perfectly straight, hands overturned with one resting in the other and gingerly connected by a bridge of his thumbs held in front of his stomach. It looked like a simple form of meditation. Everyone meditated - no cause for alarm there - but then again, not everyone's eyes glowed either. Toru felt panicked at first, tying what was happening now to the aggression of the Avatar State he bore witness to twice before. He was conflicted between running, and shaking the teen out of it in fear of what kind of destruction - and signals to their pursuers - Ren could suddenly cause. For a moment, he even feared for his life.

The only reason the panic subsided, bit by bit but still coming down from an adrenaline-high, was because of how serene everything was. The wind wasn't raging, the ground wasn't shaking, and a wave hadn't come washing up from the ocean roughly two miles by their camp. It's not like Toru was an expert on the happenings of the Avatar - no one could even call themselves that anymore - however, maybe _he_ could say that this wasn't the Avatar State at all. He crept closer, easing his way through the grass until he stood at Ren's side. In turn, the teen didn't react.

The body seated on the ground was definitely Ren. However, because his expression was stern and equally unreadable, it didn't feel like him. "So serious..." the raven muttered under his breath, startled by the sound of his own voice. 

 

Toru didn't know how long he stood there watching, caught by his intrigue and the sight before him. Honestly? He felt a little intimidated by the glow of Ren's eyes and the flowing energy surrounding him. At one point, the mother fox he had met earlier approached, her kits taking the lead as they bounded over tall blades of grass. This broke his attention and Toru looked at the wildlife instead. There were two of them, one chasing the other in a playful game. The smallest of the two looked like he hadn't even grown into his own skin, puffed out like a little baby bird rather than a baby fox. 

They acted so blissfully unaware. All their world consisted of was games, each other, and the meals provided by their mom. Toru was a human, a hunter and a dominating species, yet these two little fox kits tumbled over his slightly curved boots like he was just another root in their path. Behind him, the mother fox growled deeply in her throat. She strode up next to him with her fur bristling but, other than that, even _she_ didn't see him as too much of a threat. The firebender couldn't know what these animals were thinking, and he never would. All he knew was that it felt surreal to be ignored, to be considered a mere obstacle rather than something that could wipe out the entire ecosystem with one burst of flame.

 

A sudden chirp from the mother fox had her and her kits scurrying away for the forests to the south. He watched them go, noticing that all of the wildlife that had been poking around now returned to their homes for the night - just as suddenly too, it seemed. An abrupt interruption of sound had him jumping out of his skin. 

"Toru..?" the brunet called, head tilted back to look at him. Ren's hands had dropped back in his lap and his eyes were no longer glowing; even his posture became more slouched. As the firebender turned back around, his eyebrow raised curiously. "When did you get here?"

In response, Toru reached out and brushed his hand along the top of the other's shoulder. That radiating energy was gone, so he kind of looked a little odd for his actions. Thankfully Ren didn't comment on it, so he offered a disinterested - forced - shrug of his shoulders. He said, "A... A couple minutes ago, maybe more."

"Wow, I didn't even notice! "

_'Of course you didn't notice!'_ he exclaimed to himself, stunned by how casual Ren was behaving. _'You were doing some weird Avatar thing, there's no WAY you would've noticed!'_

Then, the brunet threw him for a loop, climbing to his feet as he wiped down the back of his pants. "She was cool, right?" he asked. When Toru didn't answer, Ren shrugged. Satisfied with the amount of grass successfully brushed off, he went on to stretch his arms over his head - as if he had been cramped. You don't just cramp unless you've been stuck in a position for an extended amount of time; Ren acted like everything had been quick. "Really pretty," the teen was saying, "and really nice, too... Never knew someone as beautiful as her existed."

"Um... Ren..?" His voice was far too quiet, to the point where even Toru wasn't sure if he had spoken at all.

"I felt great, you know, like I was floating. The moon was so close, and it felt like I could touch the stars!" Ren went on uninterrupted, smiling more and more the longer he talked. Whatever had transpired while in that weird state - perhaps actual meditation, who knew - had a rather positive effect on the otherwise unbalanced, troubled teen. It filled him with vibrant energy, made him talkative and excited. "Did I... I might've fallen asleep, actually, but it seemed so real." He went on to talk about how it seemed like he had floated among the stars, talking with a lady that did nothing but listen and voice the things he couldn't put into words. Whoever this woman had been - apparently very beautiful, because that was a detail Ren didn't fail to repeat - she seemed to understand everything that was in his head. She never said a word about him having to serve a purpose or how he was a failure because of what he "did". This woman with blue eyes and snow white hair made him feel comfortable for once.

 

Toru couldn't think of a time over the last month and a half where Ren didn't seem to hate existence; even before Hama turned out to be bad, the teen hadn't actually been happy. While he was somewhat appreciative of the change, it didn't help that he had no _clue_ what Ren was talking about. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and took in a loud, deep breath. This shut the teen up instantly, granting Toru a chance to talk. However, what came out of his mouth ended up being so far from the truth that, as the terrible liar he was, Toru had to turn away so that Ren couldn't see his face. 

Once he found his voice he ended up saying, rather simply, "That's pretty cool, buddy." Slightly dismissive, yes, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to say what had happened; or what he _believed_ had happened. After all, if Ren still had yet to realize that he had done something involving the Avatar State, _if_ that was how things worked, then Toru didn't want to bring him down. Gesturing for the teen to follow, Toru began to pick his way back through the grass. "We need to get some sleep," he hastily changed the subject, "so that we can keep moving. Because of your little nap-" Whatever it was. "-you can do first watch."  
He knew how the kid felt about the Avatar. For a while at least, it should be harmless to act like it had been just as casual as it sounded.

**. . .**


	30. Chapter 30

Ren looked at the map diligently, more interested in the red colored land masses covering the page than he was in the little distinct formations to help find their way. Two days after their time in the small patch of hills, the two wandered in the heat of a late summer's sun, keeping close to the sea as they did. At their current pace, it would most likely take a few months until they'd reach probably the best point to head to the North from; what use to be the Northern Air Temple, currently an abandoned manufacturing estate. He wondered if it was really that difficult to get there, if the terrain was as varied as it seemed. If it was, then there were a lot more things to accommodate for - especially weather. Who knew how much longer summer would last, or what fall was like in the Earth Kingdom.

A problem with the Earth Kingdom was how wild the terrain was. The further along the northern coast they walked, the harder it was to keep on flat ground. The rolling hills had been an outlier in the natural geography; more mountains began to rise, overpowering thick coniferous forests. There were no sandy beaches, only trees. When the two benders were forced to keep just along the shoreline by the dizzying mountains, well, there were no beaches to speak of; just sudden drop offs from the forest to rugged ocean. There were hardly any civilizations or towns either - none as far as the eye could see, which was a good thing and a bad thing. With or without them, the two were doing just fine.

"We should be coming up on a river," Toru commented, poking around the soil with a long, broken branch he had found. "The Fire Nation utilizes rivers for trade and transport, so we'll have to be careful to not attract any attention." His tone sounded tired despite the warning - the incredibly important warning that should've required more energy - but maybe that was just because of the circumstances. They had to be careful thus far, so it's not like it was anything new. Toru's weird swings between indifferent, disinterested, and paranoid were something the other got used to. More or less - he didn't like it by any means.

 

They walked for about an hour in the piercing heat of the day when things changed. Toru reacted first, snagging Ren's arm before diving into the undergrowth of the forest. Brambles poked and scratched along exposed skin, the brunet flailing to right himself. "Hey, what the hell are you..?!" A hand clamped tightly over his mouth, a strong arm restricted his movements. Glancing back as best he could, Ren saw the paranoia that took over his companion's expressions. In a matter of seconds, even he had a reason to be concerned; the resounding whirr of a motorized engine.

He tapped against Toru's hand. Slipping free from his hold, the two peered through the bushes at the sea, looking for the source. Far off into the distance, it was just a speck. A small boat that didn't move very fast being encircled by a couple motorboats. Ren poked his head out further, looking in the direction the motorboats - property of the Fire Nation, no doubt - were coming from. The dock was hidden behind a bend in the forest, however that didn't mean there wasn't _something_ there. "There's a village," Ren reported in a whisper, pushing apart the thicket with his hands, "and there are more boats..."

The firebender tugged on the tight collar of Ren's shirt to rear him back, securing the sack's strap over his shoulder. Toru began to retreat deeper into the trees, saying, "We'll have to go around then. Avoid detection and leave it alone, because trouble is the _last_ thing we need."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Ren countered, gesturing over his shoulder, "A little dinghy is getting dog piled by a miniature fleet of Fire Nation men. How do we leave that alone?"

"Simple. By leaving before they see us."

It wasn't an answer he liked to hear. In a fit of defiance, the teen shrugged off his pack and exited the protective bush, coming to stand at the edge of the bank. Toru definitely had a point, too. They couldn't just get involved. By interfering with any part of the Fire Nation's endeavours, they were just making it more difficult to reach their destination. That stood to be the reason why Ren hesitated to act, instead watching from afar while he shuffled his feet. 

 

The leaves behind him rustled loudly and the raven crawled out into the open. He hissed through his teeth, done with the antics of his partner. "Ren, _seriously!_ This is not the time to be a hero. We need to keep moving before we get caught. You don't even know what the situation is." Toru was forced to bite his tongue. 

From the newly approaching motorboat only just leaving its dock, a man in armor brought up a bow. His arrows ignited with flames and he took his aim. They were just doing their job. They were just upholding whatever imposed law that the motor-less dinghy broke. So, when the archer let his arrow fly and piercing the bow of the small vessel, explain why a laugh echoed so clearly in Ren's ears. Some “defender of law” was cackling from the attempts to down a helpless vessel.

Blood sizzling in his veins, he barely heard Toru's shouts of opposition before booking it back down the shore they previously followed. Whether or not the firebender followed was of no concern to him; whether or not his movements attracted unwanted attention didn't matter. Ren's goal was to get ahead of the battling boats by land, then join the fray. Once satisfied with the distance created he practically threw himself to the water and splashed feet first. Water solidified to a soft ice around his feet, keeping him both standing and afloat when Ren propelled himself forward with a throwing motion of his arms. He became faster than the motorboats - a hundred times lighter than them too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so good at hiatuses y’all don’t even know. Shorter installation, things might get bumpy from here.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pit stop brought on by Ren’s impulse leads the duo to the trading village of Dasoo. Like most of the lived-in features of the wounded Earth Kingdom, the villagers are oppressed; their trade is strictly controlled and their imports are worth nothing to them as a whole. Ren wants to help, Toru wants to leave. No matter what they decide to do, something is lurking in the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for gapping. The semester is about to start and, because I’m an EXCELLENT student, my posting rate will most likely go up.
> 
> Now, I’d like a bit of input from my readers. A friend said that there more chapters there are, the more unlikely someone is to read it. Is that true? Should I start making my chapters longer or keep them paced as they are? I personally vote for the latter (even though I kinda agree with them) but if I can get any input, that’d be great.
> 
>  
> 
> UPDATE (Please Read!): I've extended the chapter by combining what WOULD'VE been Ch32 with what was originally here. To lower the number of chapters - and the improve fluidity - I figured this was best. Rereading what I had uploaded, I enjoyed the longer chapters more than I did the shorter ones.  
> Lol the earliest chapters were better written than the newer, in my opinion XD
> 
>  
> 
> Oh, and some input about how you’re enjoying the story would be great too :3
> 
> It might not be super smooth this time around but that’s fine.

The execution was half-baked. Zaken had preformed such a move twice before - merely for demonstration of course - but he was a master. He was used to it and experienced. So, for a half-baked waterbender like himself, Ren was quite satisfied in the balance and speed he possessed, cutting across the surface of the water like an arrow. When he reached the ring of motorboats that circled the dinghy, soldiers shouted their cries of alarm. They pulled their attention away from the small vessel - as well as the three, preteen looking boys on board - to focus on Ren. Their shock was amusing, as if they had never seen a waterbender before. Well, even if they had, he probably looked more like a demon with his movement across the _surface_ of the ocean.

They reacted quickly enough. Two of the motorboats broke off from their pursuit to come circle around the back. Firebenders took to the nose with sturdy stances and raised fists. Large expulsions of flames, shrieking as they raced towards their iced target, turned the air hot. The flare was so blindingly bright, so _distracting,_ even, that Ren couldn't keep his eyes open. Squeezing them shut he propelled his little ice board out of the way. He nearly smacked into the side of another boat when he opened his eyes again, taking a wide turn around the bow. The streams of fire followed him still. 

Little boats with motors were completely unfair, capable of redirecting their path with ease and fighting across the natural flow of currents quickly. The dinghy wasn't of primary concern anymore, however that didn't mean Ren could just head back for land. There were two more boats approaching from the small docks, one of which carried the archer. No doubt would he be overpowered; six nearly packed tins enemies wasn't something even a thorough-thinking man could face. If anything, that thorough-thinking man probably would avoid something like this. 

 

The dinghy wasn't safe - it _wouldn't_ be safe so long as these Fire Nation soldiers continued to cover the water. Ren could only evade for so long, could only plot his course so far ahead before he would derail. He needed to fight back, just like he had intended the first time. From his sides came two walls of fire; in front was one boat, while cutting off his escape at the back was the other. Ren acted fast. Before he could be sandwiched by flames or go crashing into the trapping vessel, he dove directly into the water. 

He swam in a wide sweep underneath the front vessel. Only when he was satisfied with the distance did he twist his body, bending the water around him like a vortex in the drag of his arms through the waves. It lifted him from the sea with immense force, the ever-churning currents and pressure knocking into the Fire Nation motorboats. Had this not been so serious, Ren would've laughed at their expressions. His vortex didn't take him very high - he knew his limitations with such an advanced move - but it was enough for both a good scare and a vantage point.

Using the vortex like a bumper, Ren slammed it into the side of the closest boat, nearly tipping it over with the force yet moving it just enough so that it crashed into another. In the back of his mind, the teen was well aware of how much more he would've been able to do had he been better. Had he been experienced and trained, there were more things he probably would've been able to do even with such a small lift. It wasn't important - wouldn't be until he got to the north and improved. For now, Ren focused on forcing the vessels to retreat. Swinging up his right arm, he sent a torrent of snapping water whips from the base of his pillar. Soldiers were knocked to the waves, punctures were ripped into the vessels.

 

In moments, after constantly being knocked into each other, tipping, and nearly being ripped apart by the grinding pressure of the vortex, the head commander of the platoon called for a retreat. Ren focused on maintaining the flow of water as he watched them fall back to the safety of the shores. He wanted to make sure they didn't just stay off in the small village that he could now see peeking from just beyond the trees. 

The little dinghy was all that remained. Its passengers were more unsure than they were afraid, all pressed together at the side of their vessel. As he drew closer, his vortex lowering back to the waves until he could step off into the belly of the boat, he saw that these boys were much younger than he thought; the oldest had to have been twelve. When the waterbender boarded, they didn't even flinch, just watching with wide - perhaps sparkling - eyes. He cleared his throat, sending a cautious glance over the bagged contents of their boat and the netting that secured their cargo. 

Really, for all of his mediocre effort, he was no good at "playing" the hero. Awkward, Ren lifted his gaze to meet theirs, watching their expressions bloom when he asked, "You guys... Are you okay?"

  


**~#~#~**

  


As he should've expected, the little trading village of Dasoo didn't welcome him with open arms. While the boys rowed back to shore, the only person who waited on the dock was a very, _very_ pissed-off Toru. Without exchanging a single word, Ren could tell how much trouble he was in. He offered a small, sheepish smile before hanging his head. He hardly took a step out of the boat before the firebender grabbed him by the arm and yanked him onto the dock with him. His grip was firm, even a little intimidating. Ren was unable to look him in the eye; it felt like he was about to get a scolding. Beyond the dock, however, he saw why.

Everyone that lived in the village was huddled close together, hidden by the overlapping shade of large trees surrounding them on all sides. They looked on with fear and whispered with each other, wary of the two strangers that now occupied their home space. From the way they behaved, it was like the young men were more of a threat than the sadistic Fire Nation soldiers that attacked the little boat. Speaking of which... It seemed as if those very soldiers didn't occupy the village directly. Perhaps they were more of an outside force, only mingling when it concerned them or proved to be beneficial. Whatever the case may have been, Ren's focus was the spools of lecture slipping through Toru's teeth.

"Not only did you bring attention to yourself," he hissed, keeping his face close to not alarm the villagers with his tone of voice, "but you didn't even restrain those soldiers, or kill them. They got away, and they're going to come back once they figure out who the hell you are. For all that is _holy_ , I hope it was worth it, kid, because now you've screwed us both."

' _What are you, my dad?_ ' the teen wisely kept to himself. He hung his head in mild defeat, though, honestly, he didn't completely agree with Toru. So what if they were going to come back for them? Some kids were safe from being burned and sunken to the bottom of the sea - what did anything else matter?

The eldest of the kids approached them after making sure his boat was tied to a post, shuffling nervously while the other two ran for their family in the crowd. He was wary of the two strangers - for good reason, even if he had allowed Ren to board his vessel - however he wasn't as reserved as the other members of the village. Raising his head with some difficulty, a smile stretched over his face. "T-thank you.." he finally said, "If it weren't for your, uh... Magic? We would've been goners, and we would've lost a lot of product."

Ren wretched himself free and turned his back to the firebender. Curiously, he arched a brow. "Product?" he repeated, "So you _didn't_ take something from those soldiers?"

"No.. Well, technically not."

He couldn't ask anymore questions. The boards creaked under his feet and a gruff, stern voice cut between them. "Namul," an old man called, "be quiet." Ren turned to face him, Toru backed up closer to the edge, and they were both overwhelmed by the presence the man before them gave. Despite his beard, despite his hunch and the limp in his step, the elder gave off an impressively resounding vibe. For a second, Ren felt like he would be bitten by the neck if he didn't kneel. The child - Namul - bowed his head respectfully and passed the two men, heading for the villagers who began to _aggressively_ scold him in their hushed tones.

That left only the elder to stand on the dock. His earthen eyes narrowed, focusing first on Ren, who Namul had actually spoken to, and then Toru, who had just forced himself through the village limits just for the sake of scolding the teen. After a minute of silent inspection, he let out a sigh. "We witnessed it all," he began, "from the safety of our shores.. Namul and the twins only wanted to help our village, yet we did nothing when the soldiers caught onto their plan. For doing what we didn't, stranger, as...concerning as your methods are, I thank you." Some of the tension lessened. All seemed well with the village. 

  


Led through Dasoo, Ren looked around as much as his heart desired. It was his first _truly_ free visit to a village. Hama's hadn't count because it was still within the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom, in a sense, was part of it as well, but its defeat wasn't all that long ago. His knowledge of history was scarce - his understanding even more so - however, he knew that the proud people of the nation didn't fall until after the passing of Sozin's Comet eighteen years ago. Besides, Ren didn't even know what it was called nowadays - if it was called anything at all.

He was intrigued. The walls of the buildings were a soft brown clay, the rooftops were layered in stone shingles chiseled straight out of a slate blue boulder, and the doors and windows were framed in the dark wood of the forest. The dusty road transitioned to gravel, which transitioned to cobble as they reached the center of the small village. Practically ornamenting Dasoo's square was a well. From the depths he could hear pitters of water droplets splashing against the surface; either the water level was high enough to notice, or the well was so deep that it echoed. Something he noticed, though, in a slow but constant rotation on the far side of the village was a water wheel. It must've been part of some irrigation system, or purely just for appearance. It was dim in the village, too, despite being so late in the day. Being walled in on virtually all sides by thick trees probably cast a heavy shadow over the homes more often than it was exposed to the sunlight.  
For what it was worth, Dasoo was a nice place to be. Especially if you ignored the shadow that was the village people lurking behind them.

Toru, still angry with the waterbender, carried on a conversation while simultaneously ignoring him - multi-tasking. "Those products and that...plan, you mentioned," he asked, "What is that about?"

Their guide, formally introduced as head of the village by the name of Hanrei, hardly looked over his shoulder. He came to a stop beside the well, leaning against it so as to let his aching leg rest. In a breath - an attempt of a low voice - he answered. "We fish, we smoke the fish, we prepare the fish to last for months. We collect roots from the forest, prepare them for varied uses. All of it used to be simple until we were, in a sense, shut down. Our only way to survive was through trade, however the Fire Nation now dominates our routes and keeps the profit. It is killing us slowly. How are we supposed to get food when we must face the mountains? How can we get materials for our homes if it is not _us_ making the trades? They only seek gold, whereas we sought for resources.

Hanrei lowered his head with a sigh. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Namul...wanted to sneak some of our goods out on his own, and find those willing to trade for our products. We told him not to oppose the Fire Nation, but we did not enforce that strong enough. Deep down, we too wanted the chance to be taken. When he could've been killed, we did nothing, like cowards. We almost lost part of Dasoo's future; without kids, us adults are nothing, you know." He was a tired man, one who had seen more than he wished and lived enough to know more than he needed. It was knowledge of freedom that would, undoubtedly, get him killed one of these days.

Even Ren, as ignorant as he was, knew the world Hanrei remembered - the one the inhabitants of this village did. After all, history was made less than twenty years ago. He bit his tongue, unable to find the words to say. Hanrei was angry with himself and the conduct he had displayed. The kids did it of their own accord, but it was the adults who are responsible for not being there. He was in no place to say that, though.

A group of villagers then came forward, huddled fearfully. Their focus was not on Toru, who had just randomly appeared, but on Ren, who helped their boys come back safely. The caution they felt was written all across their faces, making them pale and twitchy. "W-where are you from..?" a woman at the front asked in a shrill voice, "What exactly _are_ you?" It took Ren by surprise. He looked over his shoulder at Hanrei, who asked him the very same question with his silent stare, then at Toru, who looked a little surprised himself. When he looked forward again, more members of the village had wandered closer.

  


With such a water show, did they actually doubt what he was? Or did they think he was something other than...human? He cleared his throat, the pressure they exuded forcing him to take a wary step back. "I'm a...waterbender," he responded hesitantly, earning quizzical stares from a few of the villagers in the front. That part should've been obvious but they looked like they didn't understand. Ren attempted to explain, the words coming out awkward and unbalanced. "Like... Like, earthbending, but with water... I manipulate, uh, watery...stuff..??"

"Didn't know waterbending was still a thing," commented a man in the back of the horde. The villager moved around to encircle the well, breaking free of the group so he could look. He didn't act as cautious as everyone else. "Well, as far as anyone is concerned, it's hard to believe that _any_ bending other than firebending still exists."

"Huh?!"

A curious boy - he looked like one of the younger ones he had rescued in the dinghy - came up, resisting against his worrying mother's tug. "Where did you come from?" he asked hurriedly, "If waterbending isn't magic, how can you do it? Where did you come from?" The mother eased up on her pulls, just as curious as her son but for more cautious, protective reasons. She must've known the fate of the tribes; the look of sorrow and fear in her eyes said so. 

He felt Toru's grip on his arm suddenly; a definite warning. There were still Fire Nation soldiers about, and if the woman's _obvious_ fear of his orgins said anything, then giving an honest answer wasn't on his list of things to do. Had word truly spread across the world about the waterbenders? Were the Water Tribes just as doomed as the Air Nomads? Ren ran at a million miles per hour through the contents of his brain, seeking out a believable answer.

Finding one he could believe, the brunet tried to answer as casually as possible. He rolled his shoulders and plastered a smile on his face. "It's actually something in my family," Ren explained, wittling in some truth while he still could, "I'm from the southern end of the nation, a town called Buhwau, and somewhere along my family tree there was someone from the Southern Water Tribe. Cool, right?" Simultaneously, every single person living in Dasoo - including the more confident man near the well and Hanrei behind - let out a relieved sigh. Tension lifted like a balloon and they were in the clear.

From the back, a teenaged girl popped up over the sea of heads. "Same with me!" she exclaimed, "My family was naturally from the Earth Kingdom but we married a guy from the Fire Nation a while back. I can firebend a little!" The person next to her, most likely her mother, seemed to nod a bit in thought, a nostalgic smile forming on her lips. It would appear that his lie was more believable than he expected; though, it wasn't entirely far off either. There was no one in his family - not even three generations ago - capable of waterbending. He had been the only one.

Whatever the case may be, the villagers were no longer _entirely_ wary of the newcomers. They finally opened their arms and offered a place to stay for the approaching night. Toru relaxed just enough to accept, his hand falling from Ren's arm. Thankfully, even the tension between the two had faded away. No harm done now that he's made up for it. Besides, who could resist a real meal and a bed?

**. . .**


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTICE: I extended the previous chapter so go back and get fully caught up again. If things feel like they're missing a chunk, that's why.

Early to rise, Toru spent at _least_ an hour anxiously staring up at the pointed ceiling of the storehouse Hanrei lent them for the night. Tension that wafted through the air made it difficult for him to breathe, eager to get back on the road. The two still didn't have a real plan of when and where they were going to stop. They didn't know how they were going to get to the North Pole from the Earth Kingdom, or if they were even going to withstand the frigid temperatures with what garments Kajiko had provided. It was a lot to think about but SOMEONE had to worry.

He sat up, placing his hands down on the taught animal skins that had been his bedding. Just within arms reach - the space wasn't that large to begin with - was Ren. The teen slept so heavily, yet he looked the complete opposite of rested. At some point in the night, he curled up further into himself, tightly scrunched together like a ball with his head bent closer to his chest. Perhaps that was why Toru waited to get up; he had at least hoped to make the most of Dasoo's kindness, for both of their sakes. Looks like only he benefited. 

The raven moved onto his knees and crawled over. He sat back on his heels, extending a hand to grab the brunet's shoulder. Gently, with all the irritation of the previous day gone, Toru shook his companion. "Ren," he called in a hushed tone, "it's time to get up." The groan he received in response made him only the slightest bit more reluctant to stir the kid, however they needed to move. Yesterday's stunt cost them too much time and alerted too many to their whereabouts. If they wanted to ensure that Kajiko's sacrifice wasn't in vain, then they couldn't afford to be caught. 

He sighed, patting the shoulder a bit more forcefully, "Seriously, buddy, we need to get moving before the soldiers get back." Whether or not Ren actually began to wake up wasn't of much concern. Toru busied himself by fully dressing back up again in his long, coat-like vest and his boots. Thumbing the edge of the silky fabric, he chewed his bottom lip. _'Maybe it'd be safer if we just stayed as fully clothed as possible...'_ he wondered, _'Even the shoes.. Quicker escapes if we need...'_ And yet, their biggest problem would have to be how Ren was taking _f o r e v e r_ to get up.

 

A knock on the storehouse door nearly made the raven jump out of his skin. It got Ren to lift his head up, long and almost disasterous bangs hanging low over his eyes like a mutt. Both of them hesitated to react - one out of paranoia and the other out of sluggishness - until a voice came from beyond the door. "Jin?" called a woman outside, "Jin, are you awake?"

No, he wasn't. Carding his fingers quickly through his hair, Toru went to answer instead, sliding the door open to find that the woman looked rather distressed. He feared the worst. "He's still waking up," the raven apologized briefly, "Is there something wrong?"

She nodded, pulling her shawl tighter around the top of her head. Her clothes were thick and durable, covered in clean patches overlaying the more worn, dirtier stretches of material. Based on that alone, with the shawl adding as a bit of confirmation, the woman must've done more physical-type labor out in the sun. Though, her distress never turned to panic, so Toru relaxed a little; whatever the problem was, it wasn't super important. She messed with the holes in the fabric at her fingertips, as if anxious. "Yes," the woman responded, "but only Jin can really help.."

Toru looked over the woman and saw that Dasoo was far rowdier than it had been just last night. There was more panic, more confusion. All of it seemed to be focused on the town square where the people had congregated. Hanrei was among them, attempting to instill order amidst the chaos. It seemed like a more civil matter than something a waterbender could help with. Toru was about to dismiss her for the time being, using the excuse that Ren was still incredibly tired when the punk stepped out from under the raven's arm.

 

The teen rubbed his eyes, the buttons on his shirt uneven and his sandals strapped loosely to his dusty feet. "Sorry.." he mumbled through a broken yawn, "What's wrong?"

Relief did _not_ replace the woman's distress. She untangled her fingers from the knots of the shawl and instead clasped her hands together, pleading, "I know you were going to leave today, but, overnight, the soldiers blocked the well..!" Toru's jaw dropped to his feet and Ren suddenly perked up. "Our rivers have been contaminated by the soldiers' camp upstream and the ocean is ruled out because it takes too many resources to purify it of the salt. That well's groundwater is the last truly fresh source of water for our village until the autumn rain comes, which could be in months!"

"So," Ren started, "you need me to unplug it? Right?" The woman quickly nodded and a moment of silence fell over the three. 

Honestly, Toru wasn't sure what to think. It didn't seem likely that a bunch of pissy soldiers would block off a village's water supply just because of yesterday's happenings. Though, that's not where his doubts were. Rather, they were in Ren, who had been _asked_ for help. It was different than helping out of impulse or stubbornly insisting. He was personally being asked because, essentially, he was the only one that could do anything. Considering what Toru knew already, that sounded too much like asking the "Avatar" to save a village than just asking a kid who could waterbend. It's not like they knew who he was anyways - as far as Toru could tell. Ren wasn't the most mentally sound person either, nor was he confident. He had so many issues with the idea of saving - of messing up when he was supposed to save - that this should've disturbed him.

He looked over, shocked as he watched a smile overtake the teen's features. "Sure," Ren answered warmly, "I'll meet you over there in a second." The woman scurried back for the town square, informing everyone that there was help on the way. In the meantime, the brunet stooped to secure his sandals, even readjusting his poorly done up buttons on the way back up. Toru didn't even get a chance to question or comment, because once that was done, Ren immediately jogged after the woman.

 

A moment later, the raven joined the villagers that gathered around the well, peering down an empty, dank column. There was no pitter of condensation from off the walls, no slight sloshing of the water below. Initially, it was too dark to make out. Ren must not have noticed the firebender beside him, because he turned to look at the girl that had called herself out the previous day. "Can you give me a light?" he asked. She eagerly obliged, reaching down into the well before snapping her fingers together and releasing a quick but bright burst of flame.

Sure enough, it was blocked off about a few yards down with boards and steel. As Ren thanked the girl and prepared to do that magical water voodoo, Toru could just _feel_ the paranoia climbing up his back. He wasn't a heavy sleeper, and the storehouse wasn't that far from the center of the village. How come he never heard the soldiers come in? How come no one noticed that they had brought _steel_ of all things, or never even bothered to mentioned it? Ren secured his stance about a few feet from the well itself, breathing slowly and carefully. He began to lift and lower his arms in succession, undoubtedly moving the well water just as slowly. There was no telling what the teen planned on doing to unblock the shaft or how he was going to go about it, but it no longer mattered to Toru.

Scowling, the firebender took a look around the village square. If this well was so important, and getting it unblocked was a matter of survival, how come the villagers had backed up so much? Why did they look so uneasy? It couldn't have been a fear of the unknown; Ren already explained himself. If anything, it seemed more...submissive, like a cornered animal. He saw it alot during one of his raids with the navy. Even before his time during the final battle at the North Pole was cut drastically short, he had even seen it on the faces of the tribe's people.

Forced... Imposed...

From the corner of his eye, Toru caught a glimpse of cream colored parchment in one of the alleys between houses. He wandered over and tossed his paranoia to the wind; something was up and he was determined to find out what. Tucking between the buildings, he skimmed over the stamped image and characters. The wanted poster demanded that some suspicious person, a waterbender, was to be turned in to the proper authorities immediately. That he had an accomplice that betrayed the Fire Nation. Anyone caught harboring the criminals would be severely punished for plotting against the Phoenix King - a grim threat that held nothing but malice in the curvature of its words. It wasn't the contents that disturbed the raven, however, even as he tore it from the wall. It was the fact that there was still damp glue stuck to its back that had not yet dried; it was fresh.

 

He heard the shift of a door on its track before he saw it, coming from the house behind him. The raven edged back out into the open cautiously, turning to peek around the corner and nearly choking on his lungs when he saw the glint of rugged red armor. A strong, muscled man that was about two sizes too big for the doorway stood there, a dark shadow coming over his face as he raised his hand. Hanging from his tightly clenched fists was a black pair of bolas - cords with heavy weights hanging off the ends. They were intended for pursuit or just capture, but they only worked if you had a clear shot.  
Which the soldier did.

No wonder the villagers had been so uneasy! The identity of the soldier's quarry didn't click until it was too late, the man flinging the weights forward just as Ren lifted his arms over his head and brought a large stream from the belly of the well. Broken boards echoed as they splashed into the reserve. "Ren, watch out!" Toru shouted.

**. . .**


	33. Chapter 33

It had been part a show, part actual duty. He wanted to show off waterbending to these people who almost didn't know it existed by lifting up a stream for them to see. So absorbed in getting the water through and splitting the barricade, he completely forgot to be aware of his surroundings. Seeing as how they were all safe within a village, he never even considered the possibility of an ambush. Thankfully, there was Toru, who yelled out an alarm not a moment too soon. Ren turned his head just in time to see the soldier throwing a long, cord-bound string of weights in his direction. Snapping his arms back down, the brunet made a scramble to get out of the way. It all happened way too fast for there to be any distance made.

He felt the cord wrap around his torso, tightly securing his arms to his sides as the weights wound it tighter and tighter. There had been so much momentum behind the throw, so much leverage in the weights, that it didn't take much to knock Ren over. Water splashed back into the well, only a small amount spilling over the small foot-tall wall and the cobble road. It pooled under him as he struggled to get back up, unable to prop himself with his hands. 

From the homes and the alleys came even more soldiers; they were armed with spears, decorated with helmets and ornamented shoulders, and in far greater numbers than what the motorboats had held. Ren, briefly, had wondered why it looked like the entire town was bothered by the well - even if he didn't voice his concerns, it hadn't gone unnoticed - and now he knew why. The entire time, the Fire Nation soldiers occupied their homes, waiting for this very moment to strike. Plotted and planned, executed without a single interruption. He rolled onto his back, tilting his head against the stone to get his bearings just in time to watch Toru lurch away from a blade. 

The firebender moved slowly, just as slow as the men that began to corner him. Fire Nation soldiers closed in from all sides and roughly cut through the gathered villagers as they were shoved aside haphazardly. All of their focus was on the ensnared Avatar and his companion. Toru, as it were, was reluctant to act against them, forced back step by step. When Ren and the well were only a yard away, he lashed out in one quick burst. It did nothing to phase the soldiers, some of which withstood the blast emanating from an outstretched fist with just their armor alone. It couldn't have been hotter than sunlight.

Further and further, and further back still, until Toru's heels knocked into the thick stone of the well. A brief look of panic flashed over the raven's face, an expression Ren immediately mimicked when it settled in that they had quickly run out of options. Another jet of flame from Toru had the circle of soldiers wavering for a single beat, this one hotter and stronger than the first. All it really did was give Ren the chance to flip back onto his stomach. Even on the ground, he could no longer see any of the villagers' legs. 

 

Ren began to writhe and squirm, trying to snag the cord with his long nails or somehow knock one of the weights in the opposite direction. As he did this, the firebender tried to keep them away with attacks of his own. Something to note, however, was how none of his firebending seemed to daunt _anyone_ ; they were just an inconvenience above all else. In the back of his mind, Ren remembered just how much Toru didn't like to fight. The only time the raven had done something offensively was when they were escaping the Fire Nation's main island and the single strike against Hama. That was it. For being an ex-soldier, he certainly never seemed to possess the drive for battle and bloodshed. So early on in their travels, it was still too early to tell whether or not this happened to be a good thing.

One of the soldiers took the initiative and flung their spear forward. It nearly hit Toru in the abdomen, sailing millimeters from him before clattering into the well behind. Aside from that, not even the soldiers were eager to fully engage. They remained wary despite their main target was already tangled up in his bindings, and their secondary target wasn't doing much in the way of keeping them back. They must've known that Ren was the Avatar; someone had to have tipped them off, perhaps a messenger, or the news of the Avatar's course had only just reached the base of the soldiers who occupied Dasoo. Either way, their caution wasn't without reason.

They were one full spear-length away when Ren gave up on trying to undo his bonds. He rolled over a few times until his back was against the well wall. This gave him the angle he needed to get a footing and came to a kneeling position. Some of the soldiers hesitated, directing their spear points and blades at him instead. They didn't know what he was planning and, frankly, neither did he.

 

He took a few breaths, evened his breathing out and twisted his torso back as if about to throw a punch. All it took was some concentration and good natured faith that something would happen, that this would _lead_ to some kind of shift. Ren could feel it in his gut before he threw himself forward, using that reared shoulder as an arrow of direction. As he fell, tucking partially against himself like he was going to roll, his opposite, kneeling leg kicked outward and around. The water that had gathered underneath his body shot up in a stream, drying the stone as it was pulled, following the motion of his tumble.

In a wide outstanding arch, it knocked the closest, unsuspecting soldiers backwards into their ranks, forcing them to fall with each other's weight. Toru looked at the brunet just as the teen rolled himself back up to his knees. "You can waterbend with your legs?!" he squawked.

In return, Ren looked up at him with a wide eyed, completely bewildered expression. "Kind of?? Not really - it was just a fluke!"

"Well, you better hope you can do it again..." The soldiers were up again, now even more on edge than before. Their weapons had never glinted more menacingly until now, when the adrenaline gave those without helmets the wildest look in their eyes. Their hesitation seemed to falter, the majority raising their weapons to strike but restraining until a command could be issued. Ren completely upset the balance - the result of which still wasn't clear.

A glance down said that his little stunt had completely splashed against the cord wrapped around his body. Instead of just the slight dampness from lying on the ground, this was manageable. Ren slowly rose to his feet, turning his hands against his thighs as a means of directing the frigid breath that left his lungs. Water turned to ice, the thick cord went brittle. He stooped to crack the ice against the well's wall before he was able to break it completely on his own. 

There was only a small hole in the well's barricade, not enough for him to utilize all the water at once. It should be fine without it... Surely, they would manage without a lot of water at their disposal. Taking down the blockage required time they couldn't spare... Why did he _always_ seem to leave his water skin behind when he needed it the most?!

The benders were forced as far back as possible, their shoulders brushing against each other from the closeness. Toru swore under his breath, glancing over. "And this is precisely why we don't randomly go bending without knowing the circumstances," he scolded. It carried the patronizing "I told you so" tone but was now _really_ the time for that?! They had a fight on their hands, perhaps the biggest since their escape. It didn't look good.

  


Of the surrounding soldiers that kept them cornered, towards the rear, some of them began to cry out. Heads snapped to attention, the tense grasps on spears lowering all in the name of curiosity. Ren and Toru couldn't keep from doing the same, looking over their shoulders to see the confusion ripple through the gathered attackers. "Restrain him!" a female soldier ordered. Only doing as he was told, the man closest to the disturbance reached for the source. He yanked on the arm of some pale, faintly bronze-toned kid, lifting him off the ground. Ren instantly recognized them as Namul, however he never got the chance to act on his sweltering anger.

"Get your hands off my son!" a woman shrieked. In the briefest of moments, Ren felt a pang of nostalgia as he watched Namul's mother come streaking in from the right, a short-handled spade in hand. His own mother had been fierce, especially whenever it concerned him. The soldiers just invoked the wrath of a mother; now they had a bigger problem than some Avatar. 

Dasoo was a closely knitted community - each person was a member of this large, lone family. Because Namul provoked the soldiers directly, he got his mother involved, who thereby got the rest of the village involved for the sake of her son. The firebender girl took to the front of the rallying villagers as well, shooting untrained but scorching hot bursts of fire at the soldiers. "Leave us alone!" she exclaimed. Ren felt bad for the soldiers - even if they were Fire Nation, and had oppressed the village - because they were almost overrun by angry villagers in a moment's notice. Each one looked more confused than the last, standing without orders to attack before their weapons were ripped away and thrown to the side. 

  


The two benders, the only other benders in Dasoo that weren't soldiers, were completely dumbfounded. They could only watch as the enemies they struggled against - no matter how brief the struggle was - were taken down in waves. Hanrei skillfully weaved through the scrambling masses of armored individuals, taking great care to hit them in the knees with his cane when he had the chance. "Tie them up," he growled, "and we'll send them out to sea." He stopped in front of Toru, raising a skeptical brow. After looking him over for a minute, the older man said, "You kind of suck, Wei."

Ren choked on his spit.

Toru was taken aback, eyes wide and jaw slacked. The chief of the village chuckled before squeezing an eye shut. "Try harder next time," he suggested, "and maybe you won't feel like a little candle light." Criticism was _not_ something either of the benders were looking for - especially so early in the day. However, whether they wanted it or not, Hanrei felt the need to dish it out while his people tied up the still shocked gaggle of Fire Nation soldiers. He limped in front of Ren, yet didn't have the same judging stare. A small smile pulled across the man's thin lips and he placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. "We're even now, son."

**~#~**

The entire day - the _entire_ day - was spent helping Dasoo with their pest problem. In the morning, Ren helped them send out two small boats into open ocean by way of a large wave, leaving the captives vulnerable to the elements that would cross their path. Everyone partook in a community breakfast, which gave the two a chance to try the smoked fish Dasoo prided themselves in preparing. A side of pickled radishes, honey root, and a juice of some...questionable origins, all together made for the nicest meal anyone within a ten mile radius had eaten in a long time.

By midday, Ren, Toru, and a patrol of villagers trekked to the Fire Nation camp two miles inland. Courage and newfound confidence kept the villagers prepared for _anything_ that awaited them. All they wanted was to finally break out on their own again, to be liberated by their own hands. Only two attendants remained there to protect the base grounds when they arrived, the rest having set out to apprehend the Avatar - now a few miles out from the coast. When they saw the miniature army of people arrive at their doorstep, all color drained from their faces. Together, the benders and Dasoo unleashed hell, ripping up the base camp by its foundation. It quickly became dangerous, unlivable; a permanent reminder to any who'd return that there was no longer a place there for them to terrorize or control.

In the evening, it was unnanimously decided between the two males that it was time to go. No staying another night, no reluctance. They had lots of ground to make up. As Toru and Ren prepared to leave, they were given a farewell by the village. The sky had darkened, bright stars beginning to twinkle only when they weren't painted over by flaring orange streaks and reddened hues. Not the best time to travel, but....

  


"Are you... Are you _really_ the Avatar?" Hanrei asked slowly, his tone low and tired. "It wasn't some trick by the Fire Nation to test us?"

Ren hated admitting it. He hated confirming anything that may cause people to have these unnrealistic ideas or dreams. He didn't believe in it, didn't agree with the title. And, as a prime example, look at what such a name brought to an innocent village. Admittedly, part of it was on Ren for being an impulsive individual. That didn't negate the fact that it was _because_ of who he was that those soldiers were so persistent on blocking the well, or gathering in the homes. They forced the villagers to cooperate _because_ of him. Ren smiled sheepishly, furrowing his brow. "Yeah, I guess.. Though I'm not a very good one.." Hearing it come from his own tongue made his stomach churn sickly.

The gathered villagers pressed closer together with his response, caution collectively splintering through their veins. This led Hanrei to lower his head. "Aren't you going to punish us then, Jin?" he asked. It sounded more like a rhetorical question than anything else, which shocked Ren down to his toes. "We tricked you, nearly got you captured. Had nothing changed, we would've lost something more than our pride as a village.."

Toru shuffled uncomfortably and tightened the straps of his bag. It was time to go, not time to be so shaken up by the guilt that came from the head of the village. Against his better judgement, Ren raised his gaze to look at the others. Everyone but the children avoided his eyes, though no one looked like they were going to argue. Both Namul and the firebending girl looked confident when their gaze locked with his. Like... Like they were _expecting_ something in retaliation. _'Is this what the Avatar is_ supposed _to be?'_ Ren asked himself, appalled by their perception of the ultimate incarnation of the elements. Or whatever it was.

He ended up shaking his head, stepping away to join Toru on the road heading east. "Why would I?" Ren asked, "You all ended up saving me in the end, right? Besides... I don't have that kind of power to punish someone. Or the will. You didn't do anything wrong."

It wasn't relief that rippled through them. Ren couldn't find a word to describe the energy that radiated off of Dasoo, because no matter how badly he searched his brain there wasn't anything that worked. All he knew was that something _changed._ They bid their final farewells and left the village behind. No words were spoken, just a silent agreement that there was no reason to stop walking until morning came. His whereabouts - the whereabouts of the Avatar, still wildly at large - were known by some. It wouldn't be long before a passing ship found those soldiers they had washed out, and it wouldn't be long until everyone knew that he was wanted. They had to make progress while they still could.  
Which meant, for the most part, that Ren needed to listen to Toru. No more heroicly stupid stunts. Not yet, anyways.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not too long after leaving the village of Dasoo, Ren and Toru come across something neither have ever encountered before. In the middle of the forest with no other civilization around, a fortune teller's hut is the _last_ thing they expected. . .

There were no more necessary detours to take. Zero, zilch, the whole goose egg. However, a week after leaving Dasoo and following a coastal path to the northeast, it couldn't be helped. Toru heard it first, stopping in his tracks so abruptly that the waterbender crashed into his back. "What was that for?" Ren nasally demanded, rubbing his nose with the heel of his palm. He wondered if he should've been concerned; had something set off the raven's panic button?

"Do you hear that?" Toru instead asked, "It sounds like...wind chimes..." 

"Wind chimes? Out here? How many villages are there that _aren't_ on the map?"

"Shh!"

He bit his tongue and fell silent, huffing as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sure enough, bouncing in notes along the bends of a breeze, was the classic clatter of wooden chimes. New notes joined as well, sounding like brittle glass. It didn't seem natural by any means, however the Fire Nation never appeared to have an interest in decorating with wind chimes. In a low voice, Ren began to pick his way through the undergrowth. "Think it's a village?" he asked. Much to his surprise, there was no hand snagging his collar or yanking him backwards. A glance over his shoulder said that Toru was just as curious as he was.

The older male pushed a branch out of their path with a furrowed brow. "Could be," he answered, "but I don't think so." The classic hesitation flickered over his face - possibly the memories of their _last_ detour. He swallowed thickly. "We don't need to check it out."

Ren trudged onward and waved a dismissive hand through the air. Trying to argue with Toru was like trying to argue with a polar bear dog; you _didn't._ Instead, he aimed for reason. "A quick peak doesn't hurt," the teen called, "Besides, we have money to buy supplies if this is a traveling vendor." He could hear the silent mutters leaking past Toru's lips as he tried to find the logic, the rationality if you will, in visiting another village. What greeted them beyond the growth of trees and shrubbery was not at all what they were anticipating.

 

A simple thatch-layered hut basked in the sunlight of the afternoon while thick, fragrent plumes of smoke escaping through a clay chimney at the very top. Wind chimes of varying styles, colors, and ornaments dangled from surrounding trees and the hut's own propped-up cover in front of the entrance; which was blocked by beaded strands that shifted with the breeze. Ren and Toru were caught in a stunned silence, their mouths hanging agape. It wasn't until one of them - the former - whispered a simple "Woah" that they moved.

The raven wandered forward first. He poked around fallen logs and painted pots, nudging aside little stone figurines that lay in the grass with his foot. "What a weird place..." he muttered. "Might belong to a hermit, or a nomad."

"Or some crazy person," Ren was sure to add, brushing his knuckles under the glass chimes of a weird.... Well, he couldn't say for certain what the main body of the wind chime was, but he _knew_ it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. A bat-crossed-penguin..? It shimmered and shone, casting cool geometric displays of light against the ground. It was one of many and, frankly, Ren could've spent all day just looking at the chimes.

With an abrupt but fluid chattering of beads, the makeshift door parted in the middle. Having been unexpected, both males tensed up like cornered prey, reeling back to see the newcomer. What greeted them - rather, who - was a woman with a white painted face, a slender body covered in long, flowing jade robes, who wore her hair up in a tight, heavily ornamented bun. Her eyes were naturally narrow, piercing through Ren's skin like an arrow once she saw him. "Hello, boys," she eventually introduced and proceeded to bow her head deeply, "I've been expecting you. My name is Ma Yuen."

It felt...rude not to return her greeting, but at the same time neither of the two felt like lowering their guard. Ma Yuen took a step closer, which prompted them to take a step back. Each short pace closer the woman came, the more panicked Ren was starting to become. It wasn't until he backed directly into the thick trunk of a tree and disturbed windchimes with his head that the adrenaline fully kicked in. Her face bore no hostilities - no matter _how_ ghostly her skin was decorated. One more step and suddenly Toru raised an arm in front of Ren, fingers grazing over the teen's covered chest. "Look..." The raven's voice came out uneven but with a tone of warning, "We were just passing by, by pure chance. We'll be leaving now--"

"Stay," Ma Yuen insisted, "allow me to offer my services to you, young travelers."

 

Ren wasn't sure how he was supposed to act now. Having only reacted up until that point, one of his hands had come to grip Toru's wrist tightly. "What services..?" he tested first, "You said that you were expecting us.."

She nodded, the glass orbs dangling from sleek black pins clattering together with the motion. "I have. I'm what you might call... A Seer of sorts, a fortune teller."

That was all Toru needed. The raven straightened his posture, shed all tension in his body, and even went so far as to tilt his head back and groan. "Oh," he said, heavily disinterested, "so a nutjob?" Slipping his arm free of Ren's hold, he proceeded to adjust the sack over his shoulder. "Sorry, lady, we're not interested in anything you have to offer. As a matter of fact, we were just leaving--"

"To head north?"

Ren could practically see the gears turning in his companion's head. Yes, it startled him just as much that this Ma Yuen woman had been "expecting" them, and that she knew their general direction, but it intrigued him more than anything else. Toru argued with her for a little bit, attempting to leave and shut down her Seer-jargon at the same time. It eventually reached a point where Ren actually interupted. Jutting his head forward, he gave the woman a once over. "What're your fees?" 

"Ren--!"

Ma Yuen smiled at him in return, gesturing over her shoulder for them to join her in the hut. "Nothing," she answered, "my services are free. I gain spiritual insight by reading into the fates of others, while my patrons discover what road they're on bit by bit. It's a reward for all." Sure, the whole thing made Toru roll his eyes in disgust, lingering behind Ren as the teen took the lead. It was, however, free. 

Straightening a bit, the brunet asked, "Could you read _my_ fate then? Or fortune, or whatever it is you do?" Ma Yuen nodded. He glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting Toru to join him in the spirit of peer pressure. However, he was greatly disappointed.

Toru raised an eyebrow and waved a dismissive hand in front of his face. "Have fun, kid," he said, "I'll just wait out here." Even a mild attempt at puppy-dog eyes didn't work. More insistently, the raven sharply shook his head, going over to a tree and leaning against it with his arms crossed. "No. Hurry up so we can go." Ma Yuen parted the bead curtain and waited for Ren to enter, each individual strand threatening to tangle with another as they swished back into place.

 

He couldn't see inside the hut. There were no details to make out, no decorations like the ones generously giving the outside such a vibrant personality. The beaded curtain prevented any light from slipping past their hundreds of closely-spaced strands, making the atmosphere even more mysterious. On the floor in the center, however, was the soft kindling of a fire. A scent of lavender - incense, for sure - filled his nose but Ren couldn't see any directing smoke trails with the dim lighting. Ma Yuen sat herself down on one of the pelts that circled the coals, gesturing for him to do the same directly next to her.

Second thoughts quickly occupied every available space in his head as he did what was requested of him, sitting back on his heels with his hands in his lap. Ma Yuen reached into the darkness, soon shifting a shallow clay dish filled with different bones just under his chin. "Take your pick, son," she encouraged, "and we will throw it into the fire to see what cracks the heat makes." Inexperienced as he was, even Ren knew that this was a classic method of fortune telling. His aunt had an interest in the art and would take unused bones the tribe produced for her "practice". It never worked, and nothing was ever prophesized, but she enjoyed it.

With a small breath, Ren shook his head, clearing away the nostalgia and thoughts of home before digging his hand into the dish. Only afterwards did he remind himself that they had been unidentified bones. Who knew if they were animal or human, right? You didn't simply trust a random face-painted woman in the forest. Turning around a bone about as long as his neck but as thin as his toes between his fingers, Ren patiently waited for Ma Yuen to put the bones down and encourage him to proceed.

His stomach was flip flopping around in his body. There was nothing that the teen was expecting from this. What would she tell him? What would the bone say? Had she charged him, it would undoubtedbly be a scam, but... Fortune tellers knew what their clients _wanted_ to hear. Maybe by stimulating his need for mystery, she would rope him into a loyalty situation. She tapped his arm, reminding him of the situation at hand. "Oh.. Right, sorry.." the teen quickly apologized. Biting his lip, Ren gently tossed the bone into the coals.

 

A flame formed, then blew out. The bone suddenly ignited _completely_ , acting as a small, raging inferno in an otherwise dormant mound of cinders. With a quick and thundering **_POP_** the fire went out and both were left in a fit of silence. Slowly, Ma Yuen reached out and took up the bone between her nails. She held it up for him to see, peering straight through the newly found, neatly formed gap in the middle.

What... What did it mean..? Was it a good thing? A bad thing? Was he _supposed_ to see her on the other side? Did it even count as a crack? Shifting his weight, Ren leaned forward. "And...?" he pushed, "What have you got for me, Ma Yuen?"

There was blatant confusion on her face; he could see each contortion of her expression even with the minimal firelight. She let out a breath and sagged her head, fiddling with the bone that now laid in her lap. "This is most curious, actually... I've never seen this kind of reaction, or this kind of _fate_ that has been written." So there was something. Ren shuffled closer, peering at the bone intently like it would explain itself. Thankfully, it didn't have to. Ma Yuen looked over with pursed pale lips. "It's a mighty break in the bone," the fortune teller said, "there's no doubt about that. However, the way it was consumed by the flames... Is everything okay with you, young man? Somehow, you're tied into something so incredibly massive yet so unnerving that I can't tell what. But after that..." Her silence almost scared him. 

"It's just a break, not so much a crack," Ma Yuen explained, "and the fire didn't even consume it. There's just... _nothing_ there. Your fate, your fortune, whichever the bone has foreseen, there's nothing there for me to read." Her features were grim, her tone was apologetic. It took a while to sink in, but when it did Ren was snorting with laughter. She blinked a few times before sitting up much straighter. "Wha... What is it..?"

He rose to his feet, smiling down at her before shaking his head. "It's nothing," Ren replied, "I'm just not surprised. I definitely believe you-" Ma Yuen bit her tongue. "-but I didn't expect much. This "nothing" you've seen makes perfect sense." For a moment, the smile wavered, and Ren diverted his gaze, muttering under his breath, "A little disheartening though, sure.." It might've been a scam, it might not have. Whatever the case may be, the outcome seemed like it worked out. Somehow, at least.

 

Toru pushed himself off the trunk of the tree, ready to go the minute Ren stepped back out into the sunshine. "So?" he playfully teased, "A successful fortune telling? You happy with your fate?"

"Well, my love life is in shambles so it's working out," the brunet returned, eliciting a rather excited laugh from the other.

They bid their farewells to Ma Yuen, whose gaze seldom seemed to leave Ren's face. She looked worried, but maybe because she encountered something she didn't understand. Who knew. "Stay safe out there, you two," she said with a bow, "It's a dangerous world out there these days, and I have a feeling.. Well, I have a strong hope that you'll both do something great." A final sales pitch, probably, but it made the males uncomfortable. After all, they already had an idea what kind of "great" thing they were a part of. 

It wasn't until they turned away and began to head back through the trees that she dealt them a final surprise. Under their feet, the earth trembled, and the chimes sang in the air. A single second afterwards, there was complete silence. Toru and Ren looked back over their shoulders, startled to see that the chimes had disappeared off the tree branches and the hut was... Well, it was gone. A deepened depression in the solid earth suggested that it was swallowed, but so suddenly? Ma Yuen possessed a mystery herself, something that didn't just hide itself in her hair or paint.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Toru find themselves in need of a final pitstop before they make a last dash for the North Pole. While there, they encounter a young, spirited inventor. Things take a turn when those close to the kid are threatened; it's just another obstacle on the Avatar's road north. However, this obstacle doesn't turn out to be a mere coincidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, updates are probably going to get a bit slower. Since I'm extending the chapter lengths, it's harder for me to maintain a constant streamline of thoughts. Most of the chapters until know had already been written since, like, April.

His body flushed with hot adrenaline and his lungs burned with the humid air that inflated them. Each joint hurt, the pit of his stomach contorting in weird shapes that were enough to make the rest of him nauseous, however there was a pride in his chest that drowned most of it out. Though he ached worse than ever before, Ren stood proudly over the shocked form of the raven. This wasn't their first sparring match - nor would it be the last - but this stood as the first where he came out as victorious. Toru was completely dumbfounded, at a loss for words as he stared up at the teen with a wide-eyed expression. His surprise didn't seem faked, so it only lifted Ren's spirits when he realized that it hadn't just been a pity win. A laugh bubbled from his throat and he threw his head back, sunshine smiling warmly on his face. "About... About time..." he panted. At long last, the sweltering heat began to cool down with fall's rapid approach, a breeze passing by that chilled the sweat on his skin.

Time passed weirdly to the point where the sensation that _was_ his body kind of disappeared. He didn't notice the weakness until he was already starting to fall. Knocked from his stupor, Toru sprung to his feet and grabbed the other by the wrist before he tilted too far. "Easy there.." he said with a hoarse voice, rough from the pants and the shouts of their fight, "You really overdid it this time, kid. You're still not back to being completely recovered. You don't have the body mass to be exerting yourself so much."

In a sort of response, Ren's feet slipped from under him and he sagged back further. He was thankfully kept up by just Toru's grip alone, though it...kind of amused him. In a delirious, not-enough-oxygen-to-the-brain sort of way. He giggled and twisted his hand, securing his own hold on the older yet still not trying to right himself. "Heheh… But I did it... I definitely...did...it.. God, do we have water..?" Pulled up a bit straighter, Toru snaked his other around his back and did his best to support the teen before bringing them both down to the hot earth.

"Just don't go dying on me, okay? I'll go grab your water pouch." The raven got up, about to head for the rocks where they had abandoned their belongings when Ren began to curl into himself. He was stopped by a sharp prod against his side. "Sit straight or stretch, or do something," Toru ordered, "Don't go cramping yourself out or keeping air from your lungs, Ren."

"Mm.."

It just took a minute for Toru to return, popping out the cork from the water skin so he could have a refreshing drink for himself, finally handing it over to be utterly drained. Now that he was seated, Ren began to make more sense of himself. He rubbed the heel of his palm against his eye and muttered a word of thanks before he downed the contents. About two days ago, they had restocked their freshwater supply using a crystal clear river that cut through the trees, making this the most deliciously sweet drink Ren ever had the pleasure of enjoying. 

He blinked a few times and the world righted itself, cleared of the haze he had felt. Though his body may not have been able to fully keep up with him yet, it was finally recovering much more quickly. Toru settled down beside him, a thick tree casting a welcomed shadow over the two. The map was splayed out in front of them and, though falling on partially deaf ears, the raven went over their current direction. "-the two rivers-" Right, the rivers. "-but no activity in the deltas-" Where the rivers met the ocean. They left those two days ago - when they got their most recent fill-up. "-starting north-"  
Ren nodded absentmindedly, trying to act like he was paying proper attention.  
"-more rugged, mountainous terrain-" About time they moved on from the coast and the trees. "-worried about winter-" Right..

Until finally: "You're not listening to me, are you?"

Ren sighed before rolling his shoulders, answering honestly. "Not really, no.. We're about to head north and we can't be sure about the weather. I getcha." The look on the other's face reported just how believable he sounded. Raising his hands in defeat, he said, "Look, Toru, all I really want is for us to be able to properly stock up before it gets to be too late. Aren't there any towns or villages on there that we can go through?"

It wasn't without reason - something Ren finally got used to was that, in order to get Toru to even listen to him was to mention the benefits and the reasons - and he could clearly see the gears turning. His partner's paranoia often got the better of him, which could be both a good thing and a bad thing. Eventually, Toru pointed at a small speck painted onto the red land mass that was the depicted Earth Kingdom. It rested between the last river they passed and another one that separated the more hill-spotted, rugged northern end of the nation. "There's a town here that's been surveyed by the Fire Nation," he explained, "Not too big, not too small, and though its the perfect location to manage transports and stuff, it was overlooked. There isn't- at least, there _shouldn't_ be, much of a presence. We can stop there."

**~#~#~**

Sure enough, when they arrived a few hours later in the blistering peak of the afternoon, they saw something vastly different from Dasoo. Instead of suspicious, weary people that trudged to and from their work, the streets were filled with chattering people and vendors. Since it was a far more bustling coastal town, it even had a designated harbor where shipping vessels of all shapes and sizes anchored. Trade happened on the docks and with the vendors scattered about the town, occurring one-on-one or through barter tactics. Ren quickly became an excited child.

He surged forward, bouncing on his toes despite his conscious restrain. "This is so cool!" he exclaimed as he extended his arms out to the side. "I mean, just look at this place. There's no way it _doesn't_ have everything we could ever need!" 

Straggling a bit further behind and sending cautious glances every which way, Toru joined him in the street. "We need to be careful, for starters," he said, holding out a small woven pouch of money for the other to take, "because we can't spend it all here. And don't go acting like a tourist, either. Travel isn't so easy anymore so we should keep all "excitement" to a minimum."

Ren nodded his understanding, juggling the jingling pouch between his hands. "Alright, lead the way."

 

They stopped primarily at vendors that sold produce or butchered game, anything to make it easier to either hunt with bait or last for long walks. The hunting that Ren could do and the tactics that Toru had learned would only get them so far. Once fall officially settled in, prey would begin to store up food for winter and eventually burrow themselves away all together. It was either going to be sometime in fall or winter when they set sail for the North Pole; there was no telling how difficult it was going to be to fish in open, empty expanses of ocean. Preparations were important now, while they still had the chance.

The primary issue was how much money they actually had. Some was provided by Hama while the rest was a gift from Kajiko. Add it all up and, frankly, you wouldn't be living comfortably. Ren followed close behind Toru, shifting the weight of the coins in his palm as they walked. The raven was muttering something to himself rather thoughtfully, taking great care in each step ahead he planned for. Everything sounded far away and faint, but he managed to latch onto, "Need to barter, probably.. Best get things that won't spoil.. Save some.."

He hated feeling like a tourist despite the sheer wonder Ren experienced by being in such a neat place. Unlike Dasoo's darker colors, most walls were a sort of eggshell-creamy white, and instead of pointed, shingled rooves, the builds here had flattened tops of spruce wood. _Like_ Dasoo, however, the buildings were all one story and generally small. The only two places where this differed was in the center of town - a tall spire held some kind of big bell - as well as along the harbor - tall with many windows, it served as a headquarters of some kind. The road was smooth yet dusty from the moisture-less heat that had plagued the coast during the summer. However, it was almost unnoticeable thanks to the salty scent of fish and sea.

Eventually, Toru veered off for a quaint little vendor on the east side of town. It baked in the heat of the afternoon, yet the shade it made for itself was incredibly comfortable to stand in. At the very least, the man in charge seemed content, righting his posture before leaning back on his counter. His onyx eyes skimmed over the two and his lips twitched upward, "See we've got ourselves some new faces.. Not the usual crowd. How can I help you?"

"Are you going to be a friend," Toru asked with a knowing tilt of his head, "or should we take our business elsewhere?"

Poor Ren, inexperienced in real world affairs, didn't have a clue about what was happening. He didn't know why Toru became hostile - though briefly - or why the shopkeeper furrowed his brow. As the silence carried on for far too long, the teen found himself peeking around his companion. That knocked the man from his stupor and he sighed. "I'll be your pal, so what do you need?" He finished his offer of wares by eyeing the pouch Ren had now tied around his waist by the string.

Toru proceeded to gesture at a few of the smoked and dried wares on display along the inner walls. It seemed he was prioritizing longevity rather than overall freshness for their journey; that was fine. The only unfortunate thing was that it bored the hell out of Ren. He huffed a sigh, he lulled his head. He meandered out into the main road and crossed his arms, looking around at other patrons that filled the street. Everyone as a whole just seemed so friendly with one another, laughing or discussing family with casual tones and gestures. He couldn't hear their conversations, instead inferring just from what he saw alone. 

So disconnected from his companion, his mind and ears wandered on their own, practically scoping out everything that was the town. It was a cheerful, peaceful place. If they didn't need to get to the North Pole so badly - or had the Fire Nation breathing down their necks - Ren wouldn't have minded staying there. Maybe for a few nights, maybe for a few years... 

 

"THIEF! Someone! Stop that man!!"

People shouted, Ren startled from his train of thought. Heads turned for the far end of the street that reached back from the center of town just as a man came barreling into sight. He wore a mask over his mouth and nose, his sandals were caked in grime, and his clothes looked disheveled, as if having been tugged on. His arm was holding a wrapped parcel securely against his side. Considering his attire and his speed, it wouldn't be hard to assume that he was the thief. Another man was chasing after him, a woman following closely behind, but they were both quickly running out of steam. Whoever this thief was, they were undeniably fast. 

Other townsfolk didn't have a chance to react, watching with slacked jaws as he charged through them. Those in the road had to hurry out of his way, too, including Ren. He just hesitated more than he intended to, thrown off by the lack of hesitation in the thief's actions. They collided for only the briefest of moments before the brunet was shouldered out of the way. He staggered, nearly toppling before he quickly gathered himself. His first thought, once he had recovered from the initial surprise, was to chase after him; it was his natural reaction, about to go charging when a sudden hand on his shoulder held him back.

It was no surprise that Toru knew what passed through his head. "Someone will stop him," he made to assure, "or whoever is enacting as the authorities will take care of it. It's not our problem. Seriously, don't do this right now." As a response, Ren huffed and immediately looked away, moving to cross his arms over his chest. "Whatever, just hand me the money so we can go."

"Yeah, okay." Refusing to let up on his pout - not willing to give in - the brunet went to swipe the sack from off around his waist and move on with his life when his fingers curled around empty air. He didn't need to say anything for Toru to understand. The two sprung into a frenzy of looking around; perhaps it had fallen off when the thief ran into him..? Ren stiffened after checking in the closest space between vendors, looking over his shoulder with a paled expression. "Do you think... Do you think he nabbed it?"

The firebender scrubbed his hands over his face, muttering a swear before turning on his heel. For giving Ren a hard time, Toru didn't seem to have a problem with chasing after the criminal himself. The man could've been long gone by now for all either of them knew, yet that didn't seem to stop him. After offering an apologetic shrug to the vendor they just wasted the time of, Ren took off after the other. 

With a goal in mind, the town suddenly felt a hundred times larger than it looked. Toru ended up being much faster and nimble than he ever appeared, making sudden changes in direction as he followed the breadcrumb trail of startled citizens and overturned crates. The younger had a much more difficult time. He didn't have the speed to just _jump_ over obstacles, much less weave through other people. All that he could tell was that, by overhearing thin trails of conversation as he ran, Toru was the only one keeping up with the assailant; the only one willing to keep going.

He overheard one perfectly timed tidbit of information that practically had him diving down a different road: "Gosh... They're just going to go all the way to the harbor, aren't they?"

 

All Ren had to rely on for directions was his own nose and the chime of ship bells. This way and that, around a corner and along the deep canal that he briefly noticed coarsing through the town like a vein, before bursting out at the harbor. If his assumption was correct, then Ren was the first one there, chest heaving with breath. The exertion didn't drain him of all of his energy - not yet at least - so he kept trudging on. His eyes skimmed for clues over the barrels, ships, and traders that appeared to be migrating further into town with their wares. Not a sign of either Toru or the thief, even as he became one of the only people left behind.

He had the wrong place, there wasn't a doubt in his mind. That's just what happened when he opted for listening to a random person - maybe he should increase his stamina, or dexterity, or _something_ if he actually wanted to catch someone next time. Lowering his head in defeat, the walk back towards the main road was slow and drawn out. Since there was no point in him trying to find Toru again, all he could do was wait back at the vendor where they first began the chase. 

A shadow cast itself over him from above, suddenly blocking out the rays of the sun before growing in strength. Perhaps a storm was brewing... Ren didn't have the chance to look up at the source before a heavy weight landed down on top of him, slamming him into the ground and knocking the wind right out of him. Such a horrid, aggressively painful landing made him groan; which in turn prompted a reaction from the thing that fell on him, groaning in pain as it rolled off. He forced his eyes open and pushed himself up off of the stone. Though there were stars in his sight, it didn't stop him from looking over at the other.  
It took a moment to process.

"Ahh!" he cried in alarm, nearly taking a second tumble in his haste when he registered the shape beside him. "You're the--!"

Just in that moment, Toru came leaping off of the roof as well. Only his landing was much more practiced and refined, the male rolling so as not to hurt himself before whipping around to face the thief. "Stop running and give me back what you stole!" he snarled. 

The thief hesitated, holding the parcel to his chest defensively while his hand tightly gripped their stolen change. He remained silent, not daring to give himself away but at the same time trying to catch his breath; it seemed the rooftop chase was only supposed to create more distance between him and his pursuers, not _continue_ it. Ren brought himself up to his feet properly this time and lifted his arms as if threatening to fight. "Put... Put the stuff down.." the teen ordered, still a little disoriented, "It's two on one, let's be...civil.."

In response the stranger took his available hand and reached for his waistline. “Ren, careful!” Toru suddenly warned. He caught on to the nature of the action much quicker than the other did. Whistling through the air, their quarry swiped a knife out behind him, just barely missing Ren as he stumbled out of reach. Of course he was the target; blatantly the weakest of the two, it didn’t come as too big of a surprise. What did startle him was how _adamant_ the thief was about defending himself, swinging wildly to keep both males at bay. Toru, experienced, was still out of practice and couldn’t safely subdue the thief. Ren, meanwhile, kept trying to avoid injury all while sticking close. Ducking under an obvious right cross, Ren’s mind was frantic, _’It’s just some random thing and a money pouch! Just let it go already!’_

  


Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. On the far end of the harbor a new arrival burst into the open, arms sweeping in front of them. “You two!” they shouted, “Get down!” Ren sprung back, Toru dove off to the side, both assuming better than to just _not_ adhere to an obvious warning. While the thief wasn’t prepared for the new interruption, neither of them were ready for what the newcomer did next. Now the caution that lit up the brunet’s nerves was highly warranted.

They brought their left arm forward and their right arm back, the faintest, crackling arch of energy connecting the two as a streamline. Simply stepping back wasn’t gonna help - not if his assumption was correct. Hastily scrambling further away, Ren wrapped his arms protectively over his head as the energy bounced forward off the new arrival’s pointed fingers.

**_Ka-BOOM_ **

Lightning struck just in front of the thief, the thundering rupture of noise so close to his ears that it almost made Ren scream. His hair stuck up wildly around his face and his nose was burning from the singe. It quickly registered as a sensation - practically a fear - he already knew, still none of his memories had the evidence to prove it. He peered cautiously over his shoulder. The first thing he actually saw was Toru seated on the ground with an expression of unadulterated shock. Slowly, his gaze lowered to where he _expected_ to see the burned corpse of the thief, a sickness ready to shoot from his stomach at a moment's notice.

He was okay, actually. Sprawled on his back and quite clearly alive, his stolen goods scattered across the ground as he stared at the sky. As a matter of fact, it seemed like the newcomer never planned on hitting _anyone_ \- the burn mark in the dust where the bolt had struck moments ago proved that. One didn't just miss with their lightning unless something conducted it along a new path or the target moved out of the way; the thief had been exhausted, so the latter was quickly ruled out. The former didn't make any sense either because, as far as Ren could tell, there hadn't been such a persistent conductor to interrupt the direction.

Toru recovered from his shock first and stooped to pick up their stolen money pouch. After a moment of contemplation he grabbed the parcel as well, dusting it off with the back of his hand. Their thief betrayed no plans of running, or even moving from his position on the ground; they had their things back anyways, so a chase wasn't necessary. However, something else called for their rather _immediate_ attention. 

 

It came as a surprise when the newcomer approached and, with the distance closed, Ren noticed how young he appeared. Spikey russet hair, eyes dark like oil, his round face and gentle features spoke volumes. He was about the same height as Ren, too. Despite the heat, the boy was dressed rather...warmly. It made the brunet uncomfortable just looking at him; a high-collared, tight fitting black shirt with a long left sleeve and completely removed right, the same material seeming to reach down under the left leg of his layered, earthy green pants until it cut off at the ankle. He had black flats and a thick leather cuff that encaspulated the entirety of his left forearm. It had a small, lonetrack along the top of it with clasps that kept it secured when he moved. Two fingers poked out from the material while the rest of his hand was exposed to the sun. It was unlike anything Ren had ever seen - _especially_ on a bender.  
Then, he quickly realized so many reasons why he should've been alarmed.

Before them was a firebender capable of creating and directing lightning. Townsfolk began to filter back onto the harbor, a man in red armor - a Fire Nation soldier, most likely serving as the current enforcer - came to apprehend their still-stunned thief. He bore no suspicions towards Ren or Toru, simply thanking the older for his help before he took the parcel to return it to its owner. They didn't have a chance to relish in the sheer luxury of being ignored by their own persuers, because the kid started to speak, asking, "Are you guys okay?"

"What...was that..?" Toru returned. His voice came out rough, dry from his chase but made barren by the electricity lingering in the air. It was so faint, in fact, that the kid didn't seem to hear. 

Upon closer inspection, something Ren noticed was that there were rather _severe_ scars poking out from under the collar of his shirt. They looked feathered on the edges - there was only so much he could tell - but reminded him of claws. He quickly shook his head to stir from his thoughts an actual answer; "We're fine, thank you.. You definitely saved us a lot of trouble, though."

He only shrugged his shoulders and bobbed his head slightly. "I couldn't just watch," the kid said. He looked between the two, eventually introducing himself, "I'm Xiong. Who.. You guys seem new. Are you passing through?"

  


Silence spoke volumes more than either could ever articulate. Now that Ren better understood the things that did and didn't cause suspicion, he found himself answering fairly easily. He no longer let his thoughts get swallowed up in his earlier surprise. Putting a smile on his face, he gestured from his chest to the silent firebender beside him. "I'm Jin and this is Wei," he answered while keeping his tone relatively warm. Since Xiong seemed younger and not so much of a threat, it became easier to maintain until Ren couldn't tell if he was putting up a front anymore. Proceeding on, he pointed at the burn mark on the ground, "We were just passing through when that guy stole our money. It's all we have, so it's not like we could just let it slide."

Xiong nodded his head knowingly. The story came across as completely believable, probably because it was true; the only fallacy was their names. He withheld information and only said what needed to be known. The kid smiled brightly before gesturing back over his shoulder for the streets. "My grandma owns a restaurant on the canal near the south end. It's my treat if you guys want to get some lunch before you leave again," he offered.

A part of Ren stayed wary of the russet until he couldn't separate his reason from his emotions. Free food? Nice kid? It slipped from his mind that most people couldn't be trusted, however he had powerful enough evidence that the _younger_ generations were much better, in a sense. Xiong actually... Well, he actually reminded him of Namul. His mouth salivating at the thought of a home cooked meal, his eyes hazing over with his overwhelmingly dreamy mindset, and his stomach threatening to sing in anticipation, he struggled to remember that Toru was much harder to convince.

"That's very generous of you," the raven said. His words came carefully and thought out, like they were only just then piecing themselves together in a stringing sentence. If he dared to _tease_ Ren like this, by speaking slow so that there wasn't a confirmed answer in the air, then there was going to be a problem.  
_'Don't do this, Toru,'_ Ren bitterly thought, prepared to glare an intense hole in the other's body, _'Your things will be frozen for weeks and mold will grow in your pants. You will never be dry. Don't you dare.'_

Through some silent, telepathic connection, Toru seemed to get the message. He rolled his shoulders and scratched the back of his head. "If your grandma won't mind, we'd definitely like that," he finished. For good measure, he sent an overly wary glance in Ren's direction. No doubt did he at least sense the connotation that came with the silent threats. Ren didn't give him much of an expression to read, throwing up his arms and grinning from ear to ear. Xiong took the lead then, managing with incredible ease to strike up a conversation with the teen. Thief forgotten, plight ignored; Ren could practically taste lunch already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eheheheheheh I really liked the interactions in this chapter X3


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL SEEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE NETFLIX SERIES BY THE ORIGINAL CREATORS???

Xiong's grandma and grandpa ran the little restaurant together, but it became quite clear that the grandma was the master mind behind it all. The ultimate marketing tycoon, a force to be reckoned with, and ALSO an unreal cook, she lured them in with a friendly smile. As the afternoon crept along in a meager drawl, the patrons were few and far between. They took their time enjoying the meals, moving just as slowly as the time itself. It had to have been nice to not be in such a rush.

The old woman pulled back chairs for her newest guests - though took great care to pinch dotingly at her grandson’s cheek. “Always nice to make a new friend,” she cooed, “I hope Xixi wasn't getting into his _usual_ degree of trouble, hm?" At the little pet name, Xiong's face lit up. Though he appeared to dislike the smothering attention, he did nothing to shake her off. It was amusing, enough to make Ren crack a smile. The three of them took their seats and had barely even considered what food options were available when the grandpa made his appearance, settling neatly painted cups of tea down in front of them. He didn't say much, really, only nodding his head in acknowledgement before disappearing to continue his work.

Once deciding what it was she planned to make, the grandma wandered away as well. The atmosphere of the restaurant was incredibly cozy, the walls paneled with dark wood and the crackling stove in the back making for great ambience. It wasn't that large either; fitted with only six tables and a few stools at the counter, it didn't seem like there was any intention on growing bigger. Ren sipped his tea, surprised by how refreshing the chamomile was in such hot weather. He didn't know how to speak next or what there was to say, so he kept his mouth shut when Toru leaned forward.

  


The raven's seeping skepticism turned the mood slightly bitter, his brow furrowed heavily. "Where'd you learn it?" he asked. As Xiong's face continued to look blank - maybe even quizzical - he tried again. "The lightning bending, Xiong. Where'd you learn it? And where on _earth_ did you get that contraption on your arm?!" Now was not the time for interrogations; not when the russet had opened his arms to them and provided them with an irrefutably filling meal. Ren scowled in return and nearly slammed his cup down on the table, turning his aggressive expression towards the elder. "Tor--"

"Zip it, kid," the man interrupted, "Only the Royal Family is capable of lightning bending; and the Fire Prince doesn't leave the capital."

Suddenly, Ren's earlier wariness towards the lightning was no longer unwarranted; he _knew_ why he had been so easy. A distant memory, hazy and unclear, said that he almost had an unpleasant encounter with the energy. Back at the Fire Nation's Royal Plaza, a jagged, blazing bolt had nearly struck him while in the Avatar State. Did that mean someone of royal blood had come to deal with him themselves..? The mere idea made his skin crawl. 

Yet Xiong, despite the harsh tone and new hostility thrown his way, wound up smiling softly at them. "You're right.." he agreed, "It's an advanced technique only the Royal Family has any business knowing, and yet here I am, a kid from the forgotten Earth Kingdom.. At best, I was only evera kid that tried and failed to make things that improved bending techniques, that helped those who were unable to bend anymore-- That's what _this_ thing is." The russet brandished his forearm for the duo to see. Its design seemed crude and unpolished, but the performance in the harbor proved it was effective at...whatever it did. "I'm just a troublemaker that can bend fire.. I have no connection to the Royal Family whatsoever, so this probably seems like a fluke on my part."

His tone ached but his expression didn't give away the hurt he was feeling. His swelling façade was truly impeccable; Ren only saw through it because he had felt a similar emotion. Xiong already knew what people seemed to think of the things he could do, their own assumptions setting the stage for their expectations. Still, that wasn't exactly why the boy hurt..

"Lightning isn't a technique for just _one_ group of people to know." Xiong lifted his head and turned his palms face-up as if presenting them. "Yeah, sure, it's really difficult, and takes a lot of emotional discipline to keep from blowing yourself up, but... It's not impossible. It's just, conceptually, the unbalancing and rebalancing of positive and negative energies."

"Then, can even Toru learn to do it?" Ren found himself asking curiously, gesturing towards the raven beside him with a finger. "If I was a firebender, I could, too?"

He shook his head, the hurt twinging across his brow. "It's more than that, Jin.. The discipline and motions aren't enough. You've got to be at peace with yourself. Are _you_ , Wei?" 

 

Pairs of eyes glanced over to Toru, who hesitated before answering. He seemed conflicted at the mere _thought_ of being at peace. It became quite obvious that he still fought many battles inside of him. The raven shook his head disappointedly. So, Ren took the chance to look inside himself. If he managed to get so far as to learn firebending - a major "if" considering how far from the North Pole he still was - would he be able to generate lightning? Was he at peace with himself?  
No, he wasn't. He probably wouldn't ever be. With how often he doubted himself, rejecting his identity and aggressively bringing up turmoil on his own, inner peace stood to be too far off.

It begged the question of what exactly it had been that brought someone as young as Xiong to such a state. He seemed to notice the silent question dancing on Ren's lips, and this was when his façade crumbled completely. "My mom wasn't all that great," the boy confessed, breath hitching in his throat, "and I guess I just... I wasn't good enough for her, I wasn't what she wanted me to be.. One day she just snapped completely and began an inferno in our house because of me. I would've died had my dad not- He was never even a match for her, you know? Yet he pushed her off of me and pulled me from the house.."

Ren's throat constricted tightly, diverting his gaze from the boy like a coward. He couldn't bare to look at him now... Not when he now knew what lay under his long sleeves and collar, not when he felt such immense guilt for having crude suspicions of him. Where was Xiong's father now, if not here?

"Eventually," Xiong started saying, "I realized that it had never been my fault. That the scars weren't because I was never good enough.. I accepted them and myself. After that, all it took was the technique and... The rail was just an additive to get a better grasp on directing the lightning; almost like control, but you don't just _control_ lightning." By the sound of it, lightning was an unrelenting, powerful streamline of energy. Considering how little Ren knew - the extent of which being the _boring_ lessons provided by Zaken - this came as an impossibility. Yes, water had ice and other phases of the element, but lightning seemed to be its own force entirely.

Their conversation was graciously interrupted by the clatter of plates on the table top. Grilled fish, small bowls of natto, fresh rolls with seasonal vegetables, and an array of sauces littered Ren's sight, reminding him of the hunger painfully taking residence in his stomach. When he looked up to thank the grandmother, her expression silenced him instantly. She looked as Xiong did, hiding years of ache behind a tired smile. It was safe to assume that the mother of Xiong had been her daughter. She pulled up a chair beside the russet to join them. Silently, they enjoyed their lunch to the best of their ability; the tension made the food almost bitter.

 

The doors were thrown open wildly, slamming against the interior wall as five- no, seven armored men entered. Patrons froze mid-bite, Toru tensed beside the waterbender and even went so far as to squeeze his thigh under the table in warning. Ren tried his best to not look as alarmed as he was feeling, chopsticks clicking together and dropping his piece of fish back against the lip of its designated plate.

Fire Nation soldiers in armor that looked _nothing_ like the typical ensemble of those they had encountered thus far; half seemed gladiatorial from the chest pieces, armored skirts, and untraditional heavy blades at their waists, while the rest appeared cool under their layers of dark colors and mouth masks. They chattered in loud voices but, as Ren quickly realized, it was all for the sake of stirring up trouble. "Where would you like to sit?" asked one.

"Don't know, sir," answered another, tone shrill and feigning thought, "I like that one over _there._ " He gestured at the table opposite of the trio, where a group of patrons were in the middle of a meal. Surely they wouldn't... Apparently Ren was becoming a better judge of character. His suspicions - practically fears - were realized as the armored men approached the seated elders. "Get lost, pops," the lead ordered, slamming his sandaled foot down on the table edge, "We want lunch."

"Can't you fellas take one of the empty tables?"

Ren suddenly couldn't hear over the rush of blood in his ears. His hands came down onto the table, his chair skittered back, and his knees nearly collided with the underside of the furniture. How could he just take this sitting down?! By now an underling had hoisted up one of the gentlemen by the collar of his shirt, letting slander slip past his teeth with ease. The brunet opened his mouth and barely forced a sound out when the lead glanced over his shoulder, alerted by the non-threatening sound of his movement. "He-!"

An arm around the waist pulled him down into Toru's lap, a hand over the mouth silenced him, the raven chuckling loud to be overheard, "Ahahah, oh, Jin, you know I love messing with you. It's only a joke, no need to overreact." With his voice so clear in Ren's ear, the strain was obvious; the notoriously bad liar, Toru Hyung, was putting on the best front he could muster, even going so far as to move his hand off the teen's mouth in order to run it through his ragged bangs. "Haha.." he tensely laughed, "you're so naïve sometimes."

The lead looked back at the table of men again, ignoring the two with a huff. Ren could hardly believe what had just occurred, his chair still pushed back and his limbs splayed to lock with the table or hook around the back of Toru's neck. For a moment, he even forgot about what it was he tried to do. The poor patrons were eventually given a clear shot to flee, shuffling towards the door and leaving their terrorizers laughing behind them. That is, until the lone soldier from earlier in the day - the one acting as the port's law enforcer - entered with a scowl.

 

Tension skyrocketed with the new arrival. Slowly, careful as if the slightest ill-timed twitch would set off a bomb, Ren spilled back into his chair, keeping a cautious hand on Toru's arm; primarily because the raven doubted his common sense (not unjustified) so it was only for the elder's benefit. The soldier locked onto the armored group and approached, nearly colliding in a flurry of sparks with the lead. Meanwhile, going unnoticed, Xiong's grandfather entered the restaurant and sat at the head of their table. He didn't dare draw attention to himself now.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the officer stated matter-of-factly, "You're causing a disturbance and making trouble for my people."

Ren cheered the man on, feeling his faith in the Fire Nation swell briefly. _'At least this guy actually likes this place,'_ he mused. However, the man's pride was stomped into the mud by the group's lead, who barked a laugh right in his face. "You can't make us do anything," he retorted, "Just who exactly do you think you are?" This was a definite invitation, a _test_. Nothing the other could say stood a chance, yet Ren didn't know why...

So, the soldier took the bait and puffed out his chest. "I'm the one stationed and in charge here, not you guys."

"A traitor, then? We're on a special mission orchestrated for us by _Fire Lord Azula_ herself."

The atmosphere turned frigid. Everyone except Ren and the armored others went pale, eyes wide and vacant. Yeah yeah, Fire Lord was a big deal, but did she really warrant such an intense reaction? He could've at least understood Phoenix King, yet Fire Lord completely ghosted over the top of his unassuming head.

Aware that he had won, the captain leaned closer, baring a toothy grin. "We'll be here with our commander for a little while - hope you don't mind."

Silently... Wordlessly... The lone soldier bowed his head and turned on his heel. He didn't have the luxury of worrying about the remaining patrons; the shadow of a blade was looming over his head. The door creaked softly shut behind him, a bomb set in the center of the restaurant. It seemed the lead's interest in a home cooked meal had all but vanished. His golden, fiery eyes flickered to the only occupied table left.

 

By that point, Ren's hand had dropped from his companion's arm and he was back to where he should be, but the grandfather hadn't even lifted his head. He wanted to be overlooked, unnoticed, _desperately_ sweating through the headband tied around his bald head. Unfortunately, he didn't get his wish. With heavy steps and a greatly intentional clatter of a sword in its scabbard, the captain cast a cold shadow over the table. He brought his hand down on the grandfather's shoulder, squeezing tightly. Wearing a dangerous smile on his face, he said, "Better be careful out there, folks. You've got a lot of trouble coming your way."

 _'A threat..!'_ Ren noted in his shock, _'He's actually threatening us..!'_ And, for once, it wasn't because of this Avatar nonsense, but instead because the grandfather had sought help from the law. It was a weird change of pace, one Ren quickly realized he didn't like; someone else was now labeled as a target. Releasing his vice-like grip on the elderly man, the lead signaled for his men to shuffle out into the street, taking his time to follow until everyone was out. The man hesitated by the door and a small chuckle left his throat. With a quick, disinterested downward flick of his hand, a small burst of flame ignited the base of the doorframe. "Oops~" he sang in his glee.

The grandmother cried out in alarm as her restaurant's front wall quickly became engulfed by the fire, the grandfather ready to spring from his chair at a moment's notice but the brute still hadn't left. "Take care of your health, old man!" he called, sending an all too blatant _attack_ towards the seated elder. Did his disregard for the public really know no bounds?! Xiong was panicked and, no doubt thanks to his trauma, couldn't move, a wordless shout leaking past his lips.

This time, Ren's chair _actually_ fell over, his left hand dragging over the tabletop as he lunged into the jet's path. He turned to face it head on and raised his hands in front of his head, tensing with his eyes squeezed shut as the heat - temporarily - swallowed his upper torso. The flames shrieked in his ears, not just from the strength of their birth but also from their death.

"Jin?!"

"REN!"

The lead laughed and left the restaurant behind, letting the flames against the baseboards eagerly devour it while citizens on the street began to panic. However, on the _inside_ , just within that moment's notice, it probably would've been in the man's best interest to have stayed and watched the outcome. His assuming pride prevented him from baring witness to something his whole nation actively targeted. 

 

"I'm fine.." Ren huffed. Both of his hands, both of his arms and even his cheeks tingled with sparks, turned a flushed red from the sudden heat. On the table, the three cups of tea were knocked over, completely void of their earlier contents. A faint steam hung in the air before it blended with the smoke.. He had overestimated the coverage of the liquid, it just barely being enough to douse the flames but not enough to protect him fully from the burn.

The grandfather threw himself out of his chair then, charging behind the counter with Xiong at his heels. Together, they lifted up a large wooden basin filled with water and dirtied dishes and hurried to bring it over. It wouldn't have ever been enough to extinguish the growing fire by normal means. So, before they could toss the water onto the worst of it, Ren guided an arm in front of his body. The falling stream extended itself to match and glided over the flames like an eel, spilling its compressed contents in the form of rain.

Smoke and steam mixed with the air that filled heaving lungs. Xiong had broken out into a wild, panicked sweat and his grandmother struggled to breathe; the grandfather stomped on the smoldering ashes, occasionally leaning out into the street to tell people that everything was fine. Toru bit the inside of his cheek as he assessed the slight burns on Ren's skin and turned with his back to the others. In a soft voice, careful with his words but clearly shaken up, he brought up his gaze. "Hey.." Cornflower blue hesitantly met the rusted amber - was he about to be scolded again..? Thankfully not. "You're fine.." the raven assured, a small smile on his face, "They'll sting for a little but they're not going to scar.. Good thinking, kid. Didn't know you could waterbend tea."

 _'Neither did I,'_ Ren silently confessed. He didn't want to get yelled at for not thinking things through - this tenderness was rare and he didn't want to ruin the moment - but it had all been a reaction. Hama could bend soup, so couldn't he theoretically bend tea? It was just leafy, flowery water; it should've been easy enough. At glance at the table and the partially spilled dipping sauces said his influence over his native element could be expanded beyond other liquids if he actually wanted it to... And the "diagnoses" of the burns didn't come as a surprise, considering how the male had been severely burned before. Still, he appreciated the concern.

Xiong's grandmother caught her breath by then and his grandfather lingered inside the charred threshold of the restaurant. Even Xiong himself had calmed down enough so that they were _all_ looking at the two males. Caution made its home on the faces of the elders, but something indescribable dominated Xiong's features. The grandfather spoke first despite that, coughing once into his fist before asking, "What the hell even was that?"


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT**
> 
> If you ever wanted to see art of Ren, Toru, canon characters and eventually future characters; if you have ever wanted to see how I had envisioned scenes in my head; if you like unnecessarily dramatic concepts come to visual fruition; if ya like MEMES; if you have ever wanted to see something from this story and the ones in the future, boy do I have a thing for you. And it's all on Instagram. 
> 
> @oldewaan is my name on there. I've already uploaded my first real art as of today (8/10/2018) and it's Ren, in case you were interested.  
> Never mind the shameless self-plug, go take a gander! And if there's something you'd like to see put into visual effect, let me know and I'll most likely do it!
> 
> **Now back to your regularly scheduled reading.**

"Why is this happening?!" the russet cried.

While Ren and Toru explained themselves - using the story of how Ren was a waterbender and not just a meager cousin, but like second cousin twice removed - the group of armored men made easy work of the port-side town. They indiscriminately targeted buildings and vendors, demolishing support beams with their heavy glaives or setting fire to anything that would burn. Their motive remained shrouded in mystery, which left the benders at a complete loss.

Toru was behaving rather obediently, too, not offering much in the way of opposition when Ren claimed that they had to follow Xiong; the young teen already charged off to help his town. Once they met up together, the friendly neighborhood heroes, they began rescuing people from their burning buildings in the shopping district. However, Xiong was getting frustrated. Even the harbor had not been spared, the only untouched vessel being a steel Fire Nation Warship with its sharp nose resting down on the stone of the mainland.

"Why is this happening..." Xiong repeated, dropping to his knees as another structure somewhere in the more residential sector caught fire. "They haven't killed anyone yet but, if this keeps up, people _will_ die! They haven't stolen anything, they're not making demands, and whenever we get close someone's always laughing. Miya's dad was pinned to the wall of their shop by knives in his robes; who even does that!?"

 

Ren couldn't find the words to say. He knew - or at least understood - that they couldn't have been hesitating when people needed help, but it all began to feel futile. Even if outing himself was no longer a concern, there wasn't enough water in the bay or life in his body to douse the fires. Without knowing the attackers' true motive, what this special mission was, all the boys were doing was delaying the inevitable. Still, this response itself was delayed. Ren figured he would've emotionally broken down as Xiong had by now; perhaps it was a tell-tale sign that he was, unfortunately, getting used to this breed of chaos. He crouched down next to Xiong, his hand ghosting over the younger's shoulder. "All we can do," the brunet tried, "is save everyone we can. We might need to split up to do it, but at least then--"

"They're trying to lure someone out," Toru suddenly interjected. The two snapped their heads his way, eyes widening. His complacency seemed to have been replaced by the more serious, thoughtful aspect of the raven's character; the logic that contradicted Ren's impulse, the experience that rivaled his naivety. He _knew_ something.

The firebender guided their joined attention towards the center of town where most of the activity was happening. He began by saying, "They're making a racket, breaking everything apart but not going so far as to kill. Fire Lord Azula is no fool either. She wouldn't _dare_ assign a task like this - especially not after that captain stated his business to another soldier. It'd create an uproar. So they must be after _someone_ -"

His gaze flickered down to Ren, who swallowed the knot in his throat.

"-and whoever is actually commanding this squadron probably isn't going to give up the task part way. Not if the Fire Lord brought them together. But who knows if she just permitted the commander to do this or if she orchestrated the entire thing."

Of course it became obvious who the quarry was; it shouldn't have felt like such a surprise. Disarray and innocent civilian endangerment seemed like the best way to lure out a "protector". Even if unintentionally in the past, such a tactic worked wonders on him. Ren didn't have a chance to allow his endangerment to swallow him; Xiong was already back on his feet. "What do we do?" he demanded, "I can't just let them do this to my home! I don't care who they're after, because someone has to save everyone else either way!"

 

Slowly, the waterbender lowered his head, throat constricting tightly. Getting the attention of the attackers with a display seemed like the only plausible option. Getting them to follow Ren into the trees or out to sea, without knowing where to go next, altogether seemed like a death sentence. Even if they _did_ try to devise some alternative plan... "Would anything we come up with even work..?" he asked in a whisper.

"It has to!"

Toru snagged the russet's shoulder, whipping him back to directly into his eyes. "Xiong," he said with a tone somber like death and cold like stone, "are you willing to _kill_ to save these people?"

This knocked Ren right out of his daze. Dying for a cause was one thing, but intentionally killing?! That's precisely what the Fire Nation had done to the Air Nomads one hundred years ago and the remaining benders of the South Pole within the current century. He quickly rose to his feet, his jaw slack as he stared with disbelief at Toru. Xiong also looked too shaken for words, even staggering back a step as he repeated, tripping over his own tongue, "K-kill..?"

The brunet finally recovered himself, standing between both firebenders. "Don't," he warned in a hiss, "We'll come up with something else. You and I can probably...well, we can probably kill them ourselves, but Xiong isn't going to kill anyon--"

"I am."

Ren turned back and his heart fell, the newfound determination on Xiong's face - though it was seemingly through the boy's own choice - still managed to break the waterbender's spirit. Xiong clenched his fists tightly, his thumb tapping against the leather of the gauntlet that edged out over his index-knuckle. "I am," he said again, "I'll do anything for them, no matter what. This isn't just my home. Grandpa got help even though he knew the repercussions, Grandma helps people every single day, and my dad gave himself up so that I could live... Everyone means so much to me; killing is worth their safety."

Doubts persisted, reluctance prevailed, but Xiong wasn't about to back down.

**~ # ~**

The town continued to smolder as evening approached. Citizens didn't dare stay beyond the safety of stone walls and their attackers had no interest in pursuing. Boredom crept into the restless paces of the stealthier ranks while frustration crawled under the armor of the more brutish others. The leader slammed the road with bursts of flame repeatedly, burning a single mark that interested him more than the splintering bonfires nearby did. He made a comment - "Still no news from the boss..." - and this triggered Toru's plan. It had only been an idea when the raven suggested it, Xiong being the one to devise an actual, practically fatal strategy; it was _Xiong's_ plan.  
Which meant he'd be carrying the full weight of blood on his hands.

Toru began smacking together a ladle and a metal pot. The sound, at first, wouldn't travel very far - only coming off as a distant, stumbling banging. With the addition of carefully and meticulously plotted, shortened spires of ice across rooftops, it echoed and even resonated in more of a chime than an awkward beat. Though it reached the attackers, Toru hardly moved from his place near Xiong and Ren; Xiong, meanwhile, was crouched on the roof of a building that both served as a dead end to a slim road and a divider between the street and a sloshing canal running through the town; Ren stood on the other side of said canal with his heels touching the wall of a dusty building at least two yards back.

Without a doubt, they all knew that the sound would lure the men to the street, hungering for some kind of entertainment; boredom was the fiercest of foes and could even drive a man mad. Besides, it was suspicious. Who wouldn't be drawn in? Ren watched anxiously from the farthest of the sidelines, unable to clearly see between buildings in the event that he would have to act should things fall apart, but he could at least see Toru's hunched figure beside the leading icerod five rooftops down. The plan raced through his head:

They would, first, draw the squadron into the deadend. It'd definitely be difficult, considering how blatantly suspicious the whole thing seemed.  
Once they had them as close together as they were able, Toru would draw their attention to their backs, throwing down his makeshift instruments and igniting what little wood remained untouched. It was _imperative_ that he got as close to Xiong as possible before the third part of their plan ensued.  
Phase three included dual parts that had Ren running towards the russet's post and bending as much water as he could to follow, most likely using that as his means of rising over the building to drop down onto the street. As he did that - with the cover of the water like a shadow to hide the others - Xiong would prepare lightning for a single attack.  
Finally... Finally....

 

_**CLANG**_

_Fwoooosh-!_

Toru had thrown down his pot and was, currently, crossing the rooftops with relative ease. His diversion worked for only a brief moment before thin black projectiles - knives - cut through the air for his torso, bursts of flames following close behind. It was enough to make Ren choke on his own tongue. He nearly kicked off the wall against his back and charged ahead, fearing desperately for the raven's life but, for now, the teen had to bide his time. As much as it terrified the hell out of him to not do a thing, this was just as important of a part as was the final execution. Toru serving as the squad's target meant that they scurried closer to the blocking wall. When he just barely rolled over the top of the second to last building, Ren lunged forward.

He could feel the surge, jumping from one edge of the canal to the next, stooping with his arms swinging close to the waters. It felt like a shadow followed him as it cut across the dust and grime caking the streets, full bodied and heavy. Ren knew he left the waterlevels incredibly low for the reserves, but it would be filled again soon. Once this was over, of course. 

Before coming to where Xiong waited, the brunet broke one arm away from his general hold, leading the widening wave beside him up around his legs instead. It lifted him with his sudden leap, still going unnoticed for just a split moment longer. Toru crossed onto the rooftop, crouched near the edge and Xiong was in the process of doing wide, sweeping arches around his body, lightning generating around him like a rod. 

The wave continued to rise skyward even after Ren dropped onto the roof to join them - the reunion was incredibly brief - yet he didn't stop there, running to the edge before practically throwing himself down into the street before their target. Landing in a crouch, likewise he brought the stream down in an arch behind him and around his side, the nose of which rested under his raised hand. It moved as a massive serpent, expressionless yet still holding the same intimidation of a living beast. Ren didn't dare look their target - nay, their _prey_ , in the eye. His gaze could only reach the chestplate of the captain still two yards ahead, and even that was enough for him to read the disbelief in the body language. Still, they had no idea what was in store for them.

He rose, turned once in a wide motion, and, when he brought his leading foot down, guided the water forward over the push of his arms. Its shape became cylindrical and all-encompassing as it rushed into the squad. They were swallowed up in a wave of blue, the force not enough to knock them off their feet yet still strong enough to both force them back further and keep them...imprisoned...for a moment...

_'What are we doing...'_

 

Time slowed to a drastic stop, the hair on the back of Ren's neck stood straight. He could _feel_ the surge of energy from behind him. Toru had gotten out of the way because it was necessary, Ren had wagered earlier that he wouldn't need to and that being on-level with the soldiers would help him maintain the cocoon of water around them. The waterbender looked back and up at Xiong as the younger perched with one foot on the edge of the rooftop, beginning to lead with his left arm down - fingers pointed.

Truthfully, it was amazing how the lightning that generated around Xiong seemed to pick itself more precisely across the metal rod secured onto the leather brace. As the russet had said, one didn't control lightning, and the proof of that - as efficient as his invention appeared - was through the wild arches still wisping through the air as it followed the guide of his arm. Lightning bending seemed fantastic, but...

He looked ahead at the oblong cocoon in front of him, past parted fingers and tensed wrists. The final stage of the plan involved Ren using his waterbending to make a conductive _coffin_ around the men, primed and capable of carrying Xiong's "railgun" shot through to fatally strike those within. 

As much as Ren truly despised the Fire Nation for reasons just as the squad had displayed today... No matter how well he tricked himself into thinking he didn't or how often he forgot that his only friend was a born and bred Fire Nation native, or how frequently he forgot his unrelenting disdain, deep down he knew this wasn't right. Not just for the sake of the soldiers they cornered and plotted against, but for Xiong as well.

He could do it, really. For Ren, it wouldn't be hard to kill them. He...he could do it...

 

The wrist of his right hand twisted first to face out, Ren lumbering forward to sweep the arm to the side. His left side - arm, hand, and all - fell forward as if to reach for the ground and almost swing back between his legs, fingertips hanging just an inch over the stone. Before the cool lightning, now jumping free of Xiong's guidance, pierced the center of the cocoon, the brunet curled the fingers of his right hand into his palm, his arm now extended behind him. He felt the water shift.

_**Ka-BOOM!** _

Electricity raced through the currents of the cocoon. It crackled up a storm, following its natural path downward for the earth where it could properly escape. The whole ordeal didn't take nearly as long as it had felt now that time returned to its normal tick. Ren's expression remained stern, his brow furrowed. In spite of himself, the breath he inhaled and released was painfully heavy in his lungs. Everything felt like it ached... Was it the magnitude of the water he had transported or was it something else..? Inhaling deeply, he let his head sag and the tension in his limbs seep away. Ren straightened his posture a bit, using the movement of his arms - now fluid, smoother than the plan had gotten from him - to let the shell around the men break.

Xiong dropped from the roof first, skidding to a stop just past the waterbender. As the water fell away and receded back to its home in the canal, what was left was the sight of seven bodies soaked to the bone as they lay on the ground; the water trickling off of their forms pooled beneath their weights, mixing with dust to create a very cakey mud. Ren let out a small breath, hanging back as he let Xiong take in what was in front of him. 

 

The russet crept closer to inspect, each step becoming shakier than the last. It soon seemed to get so bad that his knees knocked together and threatened to bring him down. However, he pressed onward, driven by something neither Ren nor Toru - the latter coming down from the roof to stand beside his companion - could understand quite as well as the boy could feel it. Xiong crouched beside the leader of the squadron and looked over the result of his plan. The sight made his head numb but it couldn't do anything for the ache in his chest. However, something seemed off... His eyes widened when he realized.

Gasping in alarm, Xiong fell back onto his heels and whipped his head back to stare with a slacked jaw, exclaiming, "They're...still alive..!"

Ren could feel the raven's eyes on him, a soft smile pulling across his lips as he approached. "They are," he confirmed, "I pulled the water back off of them before the full charge went through and could, you know...kill them.." It wasn't pride that made his chest swell. It wasn't disappointment or satisfaction or anything of the like. When Xiong's eyes watered and spilled tears at the drop of a hat, expression breaking as he folded into himself, it was relief.

"Thank goodness..." the boy cried in hushed whispers, wrapping his arms around his head. "Oh, thank god..."

**~#~#~**

Dusk turned the sky the same burning color that had sent ruin through the town. It was like an unforgiving reminder to most, but for a young boy it was merely a sign of the day's end. As for the soldiers _involved_ in the town's burning? They came to fear the dying light. It didn't matter how strong they were, nor how prideful they behaved, because their commander was more than capable of teaching them all humility with just the snap of their fingers. A lesson in humility would've been more greatly appreciated than their actual treatment.

From the most unassuming of ranks to the captain himself, none were spared from the sharp whistling of knives in the air or the fast movement of their attacker. Though they knew this was punishment - anything less should've been a surprise - some tried to defend themselves. What business did this woman, a person without an actual military rank, even have trying to show them who was in charge? Just because her uncle was the warden of the most infamous prison in the Fire Nation didn't mean a damn thing; just because she had a connection to the Fire Lord wasn't proof of anything. She had no _real_ authority over them!

The captain felt the tug of a blade as it snagged into the most minute stretch of unguarded material in his gauntlet, the speed more overwhelming than the swing of his arms, proving that it was enough to stick his left arm to the closest wall. He tried to burn her with his available hand, but another knife stuck it over his head. Two more to stop the legs - he stared with an incredulous expression when he realized that the small, curved ruby red blade had whistled through a small space between his calf and the strap of his sandal - and soon even he, as proud as he was, couldn't do a damn thing.  
At this point, he was unable to beg for forgiveness.

Shouldn't they have been able to retaliate against her..? They were some of the best soldiers in their whole division! 

 

"I expected more from you dolts," the raven sighed, clearly disinterested in the trouble her men had given her. Though, it also wasn't hard to see that their failure pissed her off enough to make her snap - all the while keeping herself cool and collected. "I thought Azula gave me a good group, not blubbering bulls." Mai ripped her blade out from the cracks of the captain's gauntlet with little care, allowing him one free hand which he wisely kept close to himself. "I'll be sure to let her know of her _mistake._ " 

Now prodded the question of who they feared more; Fire Lord Azula or a masterfully skilled woman? Well, it wasn't too hard to decide given the options.

"H-how were _we_ supposed to know he was the Avatar..?" the captain stuttered, "Mistress Mai, we were ambushed without knowing it was coming-"

"That's the point of an ambush, you dimwit."

"Y-y-yes, but..! Had we known that the Avatar was part of it- I swear we would've let you know first! Honest!"

Too much time was being wasted. Mai tucked her knife safely back into her sleeve before heading for the harbor. Her men called after her, telling her that they were still stuck or - those that were pandering towards her _actual_ cares - said that her knives were still there. She ignored them and continued for her ship, blending in with the dancing shadows of the evening without even trying to. 

 

The men Azula had given her for this job were prideful idiots, the exact _opposite_ of what she had wanted. Though, this was more of a personal endeavor than it was an actual assignment. Azula would gain knowledge and perhaps more from it, but it was also a way for the Fire Lord to mess with her old friend. Mai knew this and yet... She came to a stop before the large vessel, eyes narrowing as she eyed up its hull. "Zuko, you idiot..." she grumbled as her hands clenched at her sides, "Don't think you can hide from me forever. Only _you_ would be dumb enough to keep up the search for him.."

**~#~#~**

The sun dipped partway into the vast waters of the northern ocean, streaking the sky in melding colors. It was quite the sight to behold - _especially_ on the cliff the two had come across just miles from Xiong's town. One last assessment of the map before they set up camp for the night suggested that, in order to shake off any additional pursuers and shorten their travel time for that abandoned manufacturing estate they had long since marked as their launch point, the two would need to cut inland. Which meant that this would be their last view of the ocean before they set sail for the North Pole.

Ren could feel it in the air; fall had arrived, if not tomorrow then the day after. They were running out of time. He prepared a makeshift bed of their jackets and layers, wondering wistfully if the ones they received from Kajiko would ever compare to the fur-lined, thick coats he had worn in the South Pole. Probably not.. And if he had been cold then - gloves, boots, long pants and all - then they would need to get better gear before the brunt of fall hit them. Ren glanced over his shoulder at Toru, who knelt beside their small fire.

It was almost mesmerizing to watch the swelling firelight in the amber highlights of Toru's eyes, how it even lit up the rusted, darker colors to something of a warm red. Though he wouldn't say it out loud, the teen thought it luck that he still had someone with him. Be it choice or opportunity, this friendship - after a moment of thought, Ren decided that it definitely was friendship at this point - had to have been an inconvenience for the elder. Still, he persisted alongside him, even helping with... Well, almost everything, really. Ren's impulsive attitude would've gotten him either killed or imprisoned had it not been for Toru keeping him in check, or even helping him help others.

 

The raven looked up, nodding slightly when their eyes locked in a sort of half greeting-half acknowledgement that Ren was watching him. Still, that didn't keep Toru from arching an eyebrow curiously. "I gotta know," he started, "You were so set on killing them, Ren... Why'd you pull back?" 

So came the big questions. Thing is, the teen knew exactly _why_ he had done what he did. It didn't take minutes of complicated thought or self-interrogation, because the form he had changed and the motion of the water he altered, knowing _full well_ that allowing the lightning to return to the ground via its liquid conductor was the only real way to disperse it, was never part of impulse; all of it had been conscious thought.

"Because I'm not sure I really CAN kill them," Ren admitted. It felt weird to say it aloud - that was the one thing he sort of still possessed doubts over, though not enough to have made him hesitate a second more in the moment - but at the same time it lifted a weight off of his shoulders. He wore a sheepish smile as he shook his head, adding, "But Xiong shouldn't have to." The russet's reaction had been irrefutable proof of that fact.

Toru smiled a little bit in return, nodding towards the setting sun. "You should some sleep now while you still can; we're leaving at dawn."

Frankly, there was no point in arguing. As the brunet began to settle himself on top of one of the coats with his head resting on his bag like a pillow, he hesitated. "Wait, what about you? Aren't you tired?"

**. . .**

"I want to watch the sun set for a little while longer. Once twilight hits I'll go to bed."

"If you sleep that close to the edge you're gonna roll right off into the ocean and crack open on the rocks like a clam."

Toru threw his head back with a laugh. He looked over and smiled warmly. "Okay, okay, I'll move closer _before_ I go to bed. Just sleep already." Normally the raven wouldn't have felt inclined to watch the other like a hawk, but from the tone of the teen's voice, it sounded like Ren didn't plan to actually rest until he was sure Toru wasn't going to roll right off the cliff edge as he had envisioned. Still, the younger shrugged and proceeded to lay back, rolling onto his side with his face towards the warmth of the fire.

The process seemed a little slow at first, but eventually the tension in Ren's jaw slipped away and his most recent inhale of breath came out slow, causing his shoulders to sag. He was out like a light - must've been tired from the day's events. Still, Toru had to give him credit where credit was due; for as stubborn and brash as he was, the Avatar had played it rather smart today.

 

As Ren slept, it was about time the firebender had a moment to himself; he didn't need more than that. The whole thing about the sunset had partially been a lie, only because that wasn't his sole reason for staying up. Without a doubt, Toru could feel the exhaustion in his body. After an intense sparing match with Ren earlier in the day, putting up one hell of a chase in the afternoon, and then trying not to die of anxiety as he put himself in harm's way by the evening, it was safe to assume that his _desire_ for this moment of solitude was important.

He watched the waves and stretched his legs out in front of him, fingers curling into the wind-swept grass. All sorts of memories bothered his waking consciousness, memories that were bound to manifest in his dreams. It would be nostalgic, but now that he was coming to terms - _not_ peace - with his current life, they should've just taken the shape of nightmares; it would've been easier on his heart.

Knowing that sleep couldn't be resisted for long, the raven plucked up an old dandelion that was ready to release its little, soft seeds into the wind. Back home, they weren't so common, and his little brother loved to make wishes with them. Toru brought the dandelion to his lips, chuckling softly to himself. He blissfully allowed the day's events and those of the past few months since the Royal Prison overpower his memories of home life. It had been one wild ride...

The seeds scattered into the wind, most drifting towards the sea below with one breath. What few didn't head for the waters were sent south by the breeze. Who knew where they would end up or if they would survive to bud again. "What a way to spend a twenty-first..." Toru sighed, letting the barren stem fall in his lap.

**. . .**


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a storm knocks Toru out of commission, the two must take another detour until he recovers. In this new town - a village that still diligently believes in the Avatar - Ren meets Shira, a...man..? Yes, man. At least he thinks so. This was supposed to be just like any other stop, but something changes for the young Avatar and he ends up with more than he ever thought he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the LOOOOOOOOONG delay. Hope y'all are excited.  
> Lots of finals, lots of struggling, lots of depression. Working a lot now for the holidays but I plan on cranking out more updates. This is my favorite fic <3

Fall arrived, the ocean scenery turned into the rugged northern Earth Kingdom territories, and, with the sudden torrential downpour, Ren was having a blast. He darted between his companion and the open spaces between trees. It hadn't rained properly all season - the land drank greedily what drowned them out - and, frankly, Ren couldn't remember if he had ever experienced rain before; the South Pole only snowed, and rain seemed like it had fallen plenty of times back in prison, but how was that supposed to be a memory he should care about? Better yet, Toru didn't complain much. 

The denseness of the forest grew lighter for a fair stretch, allowing the brunet a moment of sheer existence. The warm rain on his face, the weight of his waterlogged hair against his neck, the heaviness of his clothes, faint trickles under his shirt, along the crooks of his body, the moist earth between his toes... It was pure bliss. Serenity, peace, everything in between. He probably could've just waterbent himself an easy cover, but that took the fun out of the experience.

"Toru!" he called over the thundering rain, grinning in the direction he had come from, "It's nice, right??" 

Because of the shade brought on by the cloud cover, it took a solid minute for Ren to find the other. Toru staggered against a tree some three-odd meters off, his head hanging and the bag in place protectively on top of his head slipped to the underbrush. "Woah, woah.. Toru?!" Wonder forgotten, Ren rushed to his side. He put a hand on his shoulder, leaning close to try and see his face through the downpour.

 

If Toru was pale before then he was _ghastly_ now, his haggard breath so starkly contrasting to the atmosphere that the teen could feel the sickly hotness against his own skin. The bags under his eyes were atrocious, and he was shaking, irises dull and lifeless. About four days ago was when Ren began to just notice the other's disconnected behavior, but he never associated it with sickness. Bringing one hand up over his head, the brunet made them both a small cover from the rain, carefully easing Toru down to the earth with the other. "Easy there..." he cooed, startled by the lack of response, "We gotta...we gotta get you out of the rain.."

The idea of a cave for shelter definitely crossed his mind, but the dank atmosphere it undoubtedly harbored would do more harm than good. In weather like this, it may have even housed something that could rebirth the whole Avatar cycle again. No thanks. Taking the stilled, pittering water shield he had maintained over Toru's head, the teen brought it to the trunk of the tree. From it he pulled forward an icy plate, adding more water as needed. Made from water-voodoo or not, in the warm autumn rain it would not maintain its form for long.

Ren bit his lip, attempting to draw as much water as he could from off the other. "Just...sit tight.." he said. It was like he was talking to himself considering how little Toru reacted. To have made it this far out into the woods - this far _north_ \- with a fever, the raven must've been persistent. Or stubborn. Or stupid. Something of the like. Ren got to his feet then and looked around at the world surrounding them, searching primarily for a vantage point. Backtracking for higher up on the terrain meant leaving Toru alone; that was a major no. Another option was being a little excessive and making an ice tower or water elevator, but that took effort he now couldn't waste. He snapped his hands out in front of him, moving them back and around in wide circles one at a time to turn the water that gathered over his fingers into ice. After all, the weather made everything slippery and difficult to grab, so he needed a means of grip.

Experimentally opening and closing his hands, Ren cast another concerned glance towards the raven before finding the tallest, closest tree he could. Climbing trees was something he had never done before. He had seen Toru do it once - only once, when they got lost after hiding from what they _thought_ had been a patrol of Fire Nation soldiers - but other than that there was nothing he could rely on for reference. Gritting his teeth, Ren furiously grabbed into the bark, taking hold before beginning his slow climb up. Every puncture he made was frosted over with a passing breath, making it easier to lodge his foot in place securely. Up branches, panting heavily, at one point Ren stopped to _thank_ the world for making him strong enough to handle this; by just barely, but it was enough.  
At three different points, he tangled himself in the tree and panicked.

 

When going any higher would've resulted in a very unfortunate fall, it was time to stop. The density of the branches had diminished enough for Ren to at least look around, but the assault of the rain made it impossible to actually see anything. Desperation made him frantic, which in turn made him frustrated. "Relax already!" he shouted at the sky. All novelty was lost, the teen snapping his arm out and around him to staunch the downpour for a single moment. Still being a rookie - not to mention one without any actual idea of _how_ to mess with a large amount of falling rain - he did nothing to calm mother nature. It only happened to be enough, granting a single second of clarity that allowed him to spot something in the east. Even if it was a figment of his imagination, it was better than nothing. He tried to not break his neck on the way down, though it was quite difficult...

 

Someone had to have been watching out for them, some spirit or god or something, because his figment proved real as he half-carried, half-dragged Toru up stone steps towards a temple styled village beset on all sides by high peaks. Lantern lights glowed from within the town limits, yet no one in their right mind was out now. Weak, exhausted, and weighed down by two sets of weights - give or take a harmless bag - Ren felt his knees knock together only a third of the way up. The only reason he didn't fall, the only reason he _hadn't_ fallen along the way, was because of the uneven heartbeat pressed against his back. He wasn't even sure if Toru was conscious anymore, he didn't know how bad it actually was.

Ren was _scared_.

His left leg buckled first and both males almost suffered a _nasty_ head wound. It took all Ren had to keep Toru as centered on his back as possible while he released one hand to catch himself against the stone. "H-hel..p..." the teen whimpered against the storm, his spirit falling when he realized how weak his voice had become. Did he say anything at all, or was it just in his head? No one would come outside until the storm passed, and yet they were so _close_. People were clearly there!

Grinding his teeth, the waterbender tried to push himself up. Every leg muscle screamed in protest and his arm couldn't even support their combined weight. It would've been smarter to just ditch Toru behind and run to get someone to help. However, leaving him - no matter how briefly - was just something Ren couldn't do. From underneath, his right foot slipped off the step it had been steadied against. Paired with the wetness of the stone, it was enough to make the two slide closer towards the base. Toru's heartbeat weakened - though, that was most likely the work of an overactive, desperate imagination. Whatever the case may have been, it triggered Ren's anxiety and knocked it into the highest gear, tears falling from his nose as the teen hung his head.

"He..lp...us..." he choked. "Help...him... Toru, please..!" This felt as if it was too much. Perhaps if he had focused more on increasing his strength, they wouldn't be having such an issue; and waterbending in this current state would result in failure. His chest ached, his head spun. Clenching his jaw tightly enough to forge diamonds from coal, Ren got a slight second wind. He moved all at once, hopping back onto his feet and charging ahead blindly, head kept down against the wind. Even if he fooled himself into believing that he was making progress, that didn't keep the brunet from hesitating - once again only a third of the way up from the bottom.

His chest constricted tightly, he almost couldn't breathe anymore. Suddenly, Ren despised the rain. The weight on his back felt numb, like it didn't even exist. What did that mean?! "Please... Please, please, please..!" The Avatar threw his head back, temporarily losing sensation in his body. It wasn't... But maybe it was..? The voice that left him then was much louder, thundering even as he cried, "HELP US!!"

 

A gale radiated outward with him in the center, carrying his call in every possible direction, cutting through rain and rumbling against stone. The outburst left him weakened for reasons he wasn't sure he understood, staggering and dropping to his knees with a splash. Toru fell off his back but Ren didn't have the strength to catch him, much less himself as the world spun. For a brief moment, a light in the village moved.

**~#~#~**

As soon as Ren came to he was tumbling out of a soft bed and charging for the one across the room. Sleep and exhaustion worked in tandem to keep his vision blurry, but it's not like he was crossing the world; just a brightly kept space. His arms flailed desperately for anything he could hold, leaning against the bedside for support. He found something clammy and frail, grasping it tightly with both hands. "Toru, can you hear me?" the teen asked, blinking away his haze. "Come on, let me know that you're okay or _something_..!"

It took forever - longer than forever, even - but eventually he got a response. It was just a groan and the slight lull of his head against the pillow, but if that didn't make Ren relieved then it was the slight tightening of the hand in his clutches. "Oh, thank god.." the brunet sighed, resting his forehead against their knuckles.

"He's going to be fine," assured a bassy tone from behind, "Our healer has been making an elixir all night, just to fight the sickness off. Though, I can't be certain how long it'll take."

 

Ren blinked slowly, turning to glance over his shoulder at the other. He was prepared whole heartedly to give them as much thanks as he could muster, but his tongue lodged itself in his throat. The deep voice didn't even bother to match the individual he saw; long, silky blonde hair, ruby red painted lips, a white kimono with red trim tucked into the waistband of a long layered skirt with a slit up the side, and then broad shoulders, a strong jaw, barrel chest, and fuzzy legs poking up from the neck of tall boots completely contradicted his initial effeminate observation. Tall, too. Couldn't forget tall...

He struggled to find his voice but, honestly, he knew that the next thing to leave his mouth would be in regards to their appearance. No need to go offending the savior of the Avatar, right? Still, the man smiled, tucking his hands deep within his bell sleeves. "You've got quite a set of pipes on you, sweetheart," he said, "I'm just glad we got to you in time."

Right... The situation at hand... Ren looked around at the open room, his gaze lingering on the two additional beds and the circular window frame filled in by thin paper. It was early morning; consdiering how the storm broke in the middle of the afternoon, it was a new day. "Thank- Thank you, sir," the brunet finally said.

"It's _'Miss'_ , not sir," the man made to correct, pulling out a collapsable fan from within his sleeve to bop Ren square on the head. There was not a single hint of hostility in his voice. Though, it wasn't enough to bypass the teen's overwhelming curiosity. In fact, he might've even dared to say he was amused.

Ren rubbed the spot where he was struck, craning his neck to look up. "Who... Who are you..?" he asked, "Where are we?" His mind wandered, asking a third question, _'Is everyone here like you?'_ No, he wasn't trying to judge nor was he trying to insult - he didn't want to be impossibly shallow. Yet at the same time he just didn't understand; was crossdressing a common occurence here?

 

The man remained blissfully unware of the confusion Ren felt - or at least ignored it - before smiling in response. "My name is Shira. And you are..?"

"Ren.."

"Welcome, Ren. This is just a humble village in the mountains, I promise. A shrine village, really."

"Shrine village?"

"Those of us here are shrine maidens," he explained, gesturing downward over himself, "We maintain the structural integrity of our beloved shrine to the Avatar, we pray to the spirits, we care for those who are lost."

Something told Ren that he should be wary; the Avatar brought nothing but bad news. He tightened his hold temporarily on Toru's hand before finally releasing him, standing up in front of Shira. He tossed his head to the side - the rest of him felt as if it swayed to match. "Then, we can stay here until my friend's better?" It was too good to be true. And if past experiences had taught him anything, it was usually that things actually were too good to be true. Another reason to be aware,

Shira nodded, his gold curls bobbing. "Of course. You will always be welcomed here, even after you've left."

"What can I do to help?" Ren offered instantly, not even questioning his own outburst. "I have to thank you for your kindness somehow."

"Well, for starters, relax a bit." He giggled - yes, giggled, but it wasn't awkward or unnatural despite the pitch of his voice - and cocked his head, pressing a finger against his full lips as if to call for silence. "Your friend is still sleeping, so you should do the same. You can take the bed next to his if it helps you; we're doing laundry today while the weather holds, so dirty sheets aren't a problem."

Ren nodded, giving a slow bow of thanks. It really wasn't hard to relax at the man's suggestion. Now knowing that Toru was going to be okay, now that they were out of the rain and relatively safe, the waterbender wondered why he was still conscious. Shira noticed immediately and helped him bed without a word. The sheets of his previous bed smelled of pine, but these new ones beared a faint scent of cinnamon. All soothing scents, at least to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go follow me on Instagram @oldewaan for Rise of the Avatar (RotA) art! I already have some pieces of Ren that are fairly good (art is hard) but soon Toru will have a release as well.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for being patient, I hope you'll continue to stick with me.


	39. Chapter 39

"Good morning, Ren."

"Oh, good morning!"

"Good morning, honey. You're looking well."

His name had spread like wildfire since he fell asleep yesterday. When he woke up, Ren found oatmeal waiting for him and cuts of dried fruit to go along; the bowl left for Toru actually looked like it had been picked at, rolled aside and dug into with an air of disinterest, which meant the raven was making an attempt to eat. Things were going well. So well, in fact, that Ren allowed his slight happiness to display itself in a village's worth of strangers.

"Good morning," he returned to each gowned, veiled, or robed woman that greeted him first. As he wandered the village, basking in the warm sunlight of a day beyond the rain, he noticed that there were ONLY women walking around. Even as his curiosity drove him to follow the short walls that outlined the town limits, Ren didn't find any _trace_ of men. There were no male elders, no boys, just women as far as the eye could see. Yes, every place had a story to tell, and he even got so far as to wonder what this one could say. To be completely without males, a staple of culture when it came to withstanding time - the birth of the youth - then something tragic had to have happened.  
His finger pointed towards the Fire Nation, again.

The teen got so lost in thought that he didn't realize he was standing on the top of the steps leading in; he didn't even notice the blond that was ascending them. Shira waved his arm in greeting. "Good morning, sweetheart," he called, "Glad to see you up and about."

"Oh, hey, Shira.. Need help?" Ren gestured to the woven basket in the other's arms.

 

The basket was passed to him at the top, completely empty with no trace of having held anything at all except maybe a slight indentation in the woven belly. The man snapped out his fan and gracefully began to wave it toward his face, each flick of the wrist fluid, clearly well-practiced. "You look troubled," he noted, leading the way back to the healer's home in the center of the village.

Did Ren dare speak his mind..? Yes, he did. "You're the only man here, aren't you?" he bluntly asked.

Shira's movements didn't even hitch, but there was a slight twinge at the corner of his mouth. "Biologically, perhaps..." Slow drawl, cool tone, _clearly_ bothered yet not holding back an answer. So, as an insensitive as Ren was beginning to feel, it seemed like a prompt to continue. Which he did, but in a way that would've likely gotten him in trouble had it been to anyone else - that was something he'd learn soon.

"What about your elders?" he proceeded, "Young boys? Are you standing in here while a woman stands in at a neighboring village, like a leader swap or alliance kind of deal?"

"We were attacked about twenty-five years ago..."

"Attacked? Attacked by what, a plague?"

The basket was pulled from his hands, ditched at the healer's doorstep before Shira took him by the shoulder and steered him towards the reer of the village that faced the crowding mountains. Ren knew better to have pestered more than he already did - his mother would've chewed his ear off by now - but it had been so long since his questions, no matter the subject matter, got an answer. And still, Shira never stopped him; the man showed no disdain towards being interrogated, not even much in the way of discomfort.

 

Ren was led behind a building against the farthest wall, both men hidden in the shadows it cast. He quickly became paranoid, fearing an ambush by Shira's command. However, that wasn't what he got. The blond directed his attention to the building before them. As he lowered his arm, he even gestured at the ground with the slight flick of his fan. The building's entire backside was scarred terribly. He could tell from the pattern of how it happened; a strong concentration of imbedded soot in the center from when the attack hit, fanning out as the intensity forced itself against the stone. Ren didn't dare to look at the weird gapping along the base of the burn, the ones that reminded him something awful of legs... _Multiple_ pairs.

He turned his gaze downward. Even in the shadows of the building, all damage was clear to him. The ash that became part of the stone ground wasn't solid black like he wished it was, nor was it streaked away by the assaults the seasons must've dealt onto it. Signs of struggle, freshly laid stones to repair damages. Twenty-five years ago rushed into him, a boy about seven years too young, and he wanted to go home again. This was different than Xiong's town, where he saw the damage dealt firsthand. In Shira's home he was suddenly ingrained in the history, enveloped and consumed by it.

It didn't go unnoticed - how could it? Shira glanced over, only slightly at first so as to let the full effect of the sight kick in, but he must not have expected the reaction he got. And, honestly, Ren wasn't sure how he looked right now. He didn't know what he was feeling. When a strong hand pulled him close, that was the _only_ thing he could discern from the world around him. Why...? Why was he so shaken up??

Shira spoke softly, running a careful hand up and down his arm, "You must have a great story in you as well, Ren," he said, "otherwise you wouldn't be so...similar, to the rest of us here." A pause. It lasted for ages, and during that swath of silence Ren realized that he was both shaking and aching in the lower part of his back. It was enough for him to remember something he had forgotten about since the escape.

"Just- Just a burn," he replied, "I got a bad burn is all."

"No, that's not it."

The waterbender looked up, surprised by the rejection. "How could that not-" But Shira's eyes silenced him. It was a look of knowing, heavy and sorrowful, just Ren didn't fully understand why. He bit his tongue - another time, maybe - and took a slight step away. Almost immediately he missed the distraction from his overactive brain and the way it churned thoughts together into a blur. Crossing his arms over his chest, the teen looked to the wall again. "So, this attack..."

 

"There's not much of a story to tell," the blond started, "especially when I'm too young to remember it myself. I've relied on my mother for the retelling, and as I got older I asked everyone else too. We were attacked by the Fire Nation like many others in the region. The rest have been destroyed, decaying over time as the Fire Nation snuffed them out. Their supply routes were cut off, trading was limited, and being landlocked means you're a goner if that happens. But we survived, lasting with only what we could achieve ourselves. And we've had the spirits to guide our hearts. Didn't I tell you? This village has basically spent its livelihood to praying in memory of the Avatar. Even when he vanished for one hundred long years of war, we persisted.."

Though he paused, though he danced around the subject of the actual attack, Ren wasn't so dull as to not _notice_ the serenity at the mention of the village's devotion to a lost image. Kajiko had been almost...similar, really. She didn't believe the world could be saved and yet the idea of her parents being able to feel safe just because he _existed_ took a heavy toll on his heart. And here Shira was, finding peace in the existence of a deity that abandoned them for an entire century. If the Avatar was so great, how come that happened? Why did he just abandon these people?!

One hundred years passed before Ren was even born, which meant that bastard of an Avatar had been alive that whole time. Oh, he felt angry alright, but at the same time he felt a great aching in his heart. Something trembled, and then something wept when Ren realized he didn't have a clue as to what the _name_ of the Avatar before him was.

Shira ran a hand through his hair to untangle the locks. The action was just enough to pull back the teen's attention, prompting the older man to continue. "When we were eventually attacked, seventy-five years or so since our distant neighbors were...destroyed, for lack of a better word, they were merciless. We were without the protection of the capital of the Earth Kingdom, which lasted for years without a god-trodden clue about the war, and we had no place to hide. If we ran to the forest, the soldiers would've burnt it down. If we ran for the mountains, many more would've died." Another moment of hesitation, but this time, the soft look became determined, even as he said, "If we ran to the shrine, our safest place for miles around, they would've destroyed it. Death suited us better than a terrible crime like that."

Without a doubt, Ren knew what face he was making now; complete and utter disbelief.

  


"Men are a staple of society - the Fire Nation knows this well - so to keep retaliation low, spirits crushed, and hope ruined, they slaughtered our elder males, making an example of them. Right here is where they did it... My grandfather was among them, but he died with his wife in the end. They wouldn't dare to be alone after that- Don't look so sad, sweetheart. They got to say their goodbyes before it was too late.." Shira began to step out of the shadows this memorial cast, walking into the warm afternoon light. "The young boys were taken, along with our men. I only stand before you now because I was so young, and because they weren't able to pry me out of my mother's vice-grip," he recalled almost fondly, "She died of sickness two years ago but until then, she was the most dedicated of us all. She handled all of our affairs, too, so she's quite the model to live up to."

As the story reached its conclusion, the sun reached its peak. Shadows burned away and left the waterbender to stand in the light. His throat was tight, his body was stiff. His eyes felt like they were burning hot cinders. Shira moved on, he didn't linger on the past for a moment longer than what was necessary; story told, finished, onto the next. It appeared as a reoccurring theme throughout Ren's journey. As far as he knew, every person he had met thus far was moving forward. The fear Big and San lived with was erased when they threw away their freedom of their own will, a moment of choice; Kajiko seemed to have changed after Ren invoked the Avatar State, but because she saw something greater than her pirating ways rather than because of fear, and now she too had willingly decided to throw away everything; the entire village of Dasoo moved on from their oppression for the sake of their family. Xiong had been able to move on from the trauma left by his mother, the person he was supposed to be able to trust with his life, and pursue a path that helped others.

Here Shira was, the only man in an entire village, looking forward in an attempt to fill the shoes left before him. Toru, too, seemed like he had grown out of his disinterested shell. The only person stuck in place was Ren. Sure, he had acted multiple times in ways that were _supposed_ to help others, and he tried to be better overall, but he was stuck. Oh, god, was he stuck... The teen was hung up on the futility of the Avatar - that was a fact even he could admit - and all the things he had tried to do were just moments of impulse. He didn't care about the future, he only cared about right now. Someone, please, remind him why he chose to head North...

**~#~**

The sun had begun to set earlier and earlier, but this time it had gone done a solid hour earlier than expected. Trudging along with a full belly, Ren made a straight shot for the bed he had claimed. The village people had arranged a full course dinner for him, though he didn't understand the novelty. There was dancing, there was music, but it didn't really fit the atmosphere. A banquet for a person they sheltered from the rain? Either they didn't get guests very often or they legitimately wanted to host meals for the people they helped. He honestly couldn't tell, but it had been nice overall. They even promised to host another one for when Toru was better.

The firebender was laying on his side with his face towards the thin window, shoulders rising and falling with each breath. A bowl of soup nearby looked like it had been utterly drained - a good sign. The breath he exhaled was heavy and thick, maybe a little nasally sounding as if he had to blow his nose, but other than that he was perfectly peachy. Though he was tired, Ren took the time to ghost around the foot of his friend's bed, head tilted as he tried to catch a glimpse of the other's features. First he saw the color of his face; not as blotchy or red, but still rather pink. The fever was subsiding carefully, taking its time to fully clear out. As he came closer, he noticed that the marks under his eyes were lightening back to their usual tone again, plus he didn't look clammy. He didn't dare touch him to check his suspicions, instead only lingering nearby with a watchful, careful stare.

Soon, he'd be healthy again, and then they could leave. Shira had shown him a map during dinner, unknowingly giving him a chance to account for their location and where they'd be off to next. The manufacturing estate was closer than he thought. Plus, with no other towns along the way, it was just a straight shot. Reaching the beaches where they'd disembark for the North Pole seemed impossibly close, exhilarating, yet terrifying all the same. Should he have been excited? Should he have been worried? This was what he had decided to do, and it was well on its way to becoming a reality..

He reached down for the sheets, pulling them a little higher up on Toru's person. It happened subconsciously, but now Ren was smiling. Perhaps bitterly, perhaps with relief. "Get better soon, buddy.." the teen mumbled.

**~#~#~**

"I was wondering..."

Shira looked up from the basket he was crafting with long blades of grass. He gave Ren a once over before smiling and nodding, returning his attention to the work in his lap. This prompted the teen to continue, "You called yourself a 'Miss', right? Why is that? Is it because you've grown up surrounded by only women or something?" The moment it left his mouth was the moment he was expecting to be on the receiving end of a suplex by a well-groomed individual well over a foot taller than himself.

Thankfully, his ribs and spine remained in tact. The blond didn't even look away this time, expertly braiding the blades together. They glided across his careful fingers and dragged across his palm, winding up into a tight netting. It was almost mesmerizing to watch. "Believe what you will, sweetheart," Shira answered, "but this is who I am. Who I've always been. I can guarantee that it is _not_ just some byproduct of my environment."

"Huh... Okay.."

"Now, could you go do me a favor?"

**~#~#~**

Two days passed before both males were awake at the same time. It was also the first time Ren had woken up without checking on Toru right afterwards. As a matter of fact, this morning marked a bunch of firsts for him. His heart raced, his face ached from the stretch of the smile plastered across it, and his brain was on high alert. Somehow, he was excited for another day. Whatever it had in store, the stuff Ren planned the night before, anything that happened would be welcomed. The teen was so absorbed in getting dressed with freshly washed clothing (thank the heavens) that a sudden voice caught him by surprise: "This is the first time I've ever seen you wake up so eagerly.."

He whipped around, eyes wide and head perked like a cat. When he saw the speaker, his smile grew to insurmountable proportions. He left the layering shirt unbuttoned in his haste and hurried to Toru's bedside, _instantly_ slapping his hand to the elder's forehead. "Your fever is going down..! You're only a little warm now. How are you feeling?"

"I've got a headache now, no thanks to you.." he grumbled, brushing the helpful hand away only to smile a second later. It was lopsided, it was more of a smirk, but it was still his. "Nice to see you again, kid."

There were lots of things Ren wanted to say, lots of things he wanted to talk about. He almost started talking when he remembered the exact reason as to why he was in so much of a hurry. Taking a step back, the brunet got to work buttoning up his shirt. "If you're feeling better later," he started saying, "let's try to have dinner together, okay? Wait until you see this place, Toru. I know you're all 'Ooh look at me, all cautious and not willing to explore' and whatever-"

"That's not at all what I sound like."

"-but I've been outside long enough to get a layout and test the waters." He left the top notch loose, throwing himself onto his bed so that he could tie on his sandals. "It's safe, but Shira and I are going to go find some stuff to reinforce the rooves - don't know what that could be, I haven't see any rivers for clay or reeds - and then get flowers for this oil that the Healer makes, and then she said we could maybe go check and see if the hopping llama is still around! Apparently she has babies now, too, or at least she should." He set his feet back down, adding a final comment of "Did you know that hopping llamas were a thing" before he noticed the rather intense stare he was receiving; and promptly realized that he had gone on an extensive rant.

_Really_ intense. It was enough to make his ears burn and his cheeks to glow pink. Puffing out his chest, Ren stood up and hastily turned away. "W-whatever.. I'll see you later..!" He didn't get a chance to escape just yet - Toru's sudden laugh both amused him and haunted him, how embarrassing..! - but the firebender had other plans.

Toru sat up straighter, tilting his head to the side. "This Shira person.. I've met them once. Do you...like him?"

"No," Ren answered with a final look over his shoulder, "but I definitely like _her_."

**~**

His sense of direction was thrown aside the moment they went east. Shira carried a tall basket of fallen branches and roots over her shoulder from their earlier excursion, leading the way towards the space between towering peaks. "Watch your step, sweetheart!" she called back to him, "Lots of rocks fall, lots of reptiles like to hide under the brush and enjoy the taste of toes. Can't have you getting infected when your friend has only just healed."

"Are you ki-kidding me right now..?!" he gasped in return, climbing over large boulders in his attempt to keep up. Her strides were large, her pace was incredibly swift; this was a journey she made countless times over. Eventually the earth leveled out and their pathway became wide, filled with plenty of trees for shade against the warm sun. When his sight held nothing _but_ trees, Ren spared a look skyward, where he saw the peaks of mountains poking out just behind the canopy. 

Rays of sunlight lit up the rocky floor, falling like soft rain. The path they walked was heavily trodden and carved by many others before. _'No wonder,'_ he realized, pivoting to capture the full sights of a green, friendly environment. Plus there was something...different, specifically about this place. He didn't know where they were, or what the purpose was. They already had the materials to fix the village rooftops, and they deduced that the mother hopping llama had settled away with her young somewhere else. This must've been the for the specific flowers the Healer needed.

 

Shira slowed to a stop and moved aside, allowing him to go first. The only problem there was that Ren froze when he saw where they had arrived; a stone based, octagonal gazebo with four wooden beams and a thatch roof. In the center was the stone idol of a person he had never seen before in his life yet somehow recognized. He took one cautious step forward, then another. The closer he got, the more details popped out at him. Mainly, it was the deep etchings in the wooden posts; the one closest to him bore the symbol of the Water Tribes while the farthest had that of the Fire Nation. Thanks to those, he could - with a great reluctance - recognize the ones for earth and air.

It made his throat dry, his blood run cold. It took far too long for Ren to turn around. When he finally did, Shira was watching him like a hawk, her eyes half-lidded and heavy. "Why...why are we here..?" he asked her, struggling to find his voice. Every cell in his body was _screaming_ for him to calm down, that he was far too panicked for the situation. After all, she had mentioned that there was a shrine the people of the village tended to. This just...happened to be the shrine. "It's...nice and all, very cool.." By trying to recover his bearings, the poor waterbender was just digging himself a deeper hole.

The blonde settled her cargo against the stony floor before coming closer; this was all done for a reason. Before Ren knew it, he was being towered over - but that only lasted for a moment. Shira knelt beside him and took his hand between hers. Soft, dark brown eyes stared into his very soul. "Don't run away from me," she pleaded, "just listen to what I have to say, sweetheart." Ren didn't move, he didn't even breathe. All he could really do was stare back all bug-eyed. Her words came slowly until they poured like ink; "We already know... About you, I mean."

 

He jolted and nearly wrenched his hand free in the time it took one to blink. All of a sudden, the brunet was feeling incredibly cornered. It didn't matter how safe this space was, it didn't matter who or what was around him, just that it was enough to start making him panic. Each breath was fast and shallow, quick and uncontrolled. There was no point in trying to ask what she meant; her stare begged him not to drag this out, no matter how desperately he might want to. After all, why else would she have hidden their destination like this?

Ren's throat constricted tightly. "H-how..?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Her smile was almost apologetic, yet it still held incredible softness. "How could we not?" was her answer, "A mysterious boy arrives with a voice that conquers the sound of a storm, surrounded by a dry patch during the peak of the downpour. The same mysterious boy who flinches every time we mention the Avatar and looks guilty whenever he saw anything remotely like the scars of a battle. Your looks say you're not from here, you aren't aware of current affairs or up to date on the maps. You've shoulder more responsibility than you needed to, Ren." Shira suddenly winked, giving his hand a careful pat. "Besides, don't act like you don't practice waterbending on your friend's _soup_ while he sleeps."

"But that doesn't- That could mean anything..!" Ren quickly argued, squeezing her hand only out of reflex, "Maybe I'm just far from home, right? Maybe I'm twelve years old and I've never been outside. Me waterbending is nothing to make assumptions off of, it's only coincidence!"

Shira shook her head, "We've watched over this shrine for centuries, we've prayed to the spirits to protect the Avatar. Besides, the whole world knows roughly who you are, waterbending when the waterbenders themselves have primarily been hunted down-"

His blood freezed to ice.

"-because the Fire Nation declared it, like they had won the universe in one move. But you really expect _us_ to not recognize him when he comes falling at our doorstep?"

 

Slowly, slowly... 

They stood there for eons, staring at each other and just existing among the rustle of branches. It definitely took some time but soon Ren realized that his anxiety had been replaced. In one heavy sigh, he expelled the breath he had clung to so desperately. "What..." The waterbender looked over to the idol. "What's...with this place?"

They talked for what felt like hours afterwards, sat on the stone floor of the gazebo. During that time, they wove together little charms from the weeds and autumn flowers that grew nearby; it was a skill that came easily to Ren thanks to the experience he had tying nets back at the South Pole. He just never applied it to anything else. The sun gradually began to ease itself down over the horizon, casting low shadows across the shrine. Yet, for some reason, neither of them moved. Setting the little charm down in his lap, Ren looked at the idol again. "Who is this?" he ended up asking.

"One of your past lives," Shira said, tossing a wave of gold over her shoulder. "His name was Pong Pong. He had a great relationship with the Air Nomads during his time, but he definitely wasn't a fighter. He became a diplomat - the king of the Earth Kingdom long, long ago - but his heart was huge." Ren wanted to make a comment about the previous Avatar's large weight in proportion to his heart, but when he looked the statue dead in the face all he could really do was smile; Pong Pong seemed so warm and kind, even in stone form. 

He tapped his nails against the stem of the flower serving as the center piece to his charm. Tap, tap - repeating it again. Every thought in his head had begun to jumble together in a massive mess once he calmed down a few hours ago. They wanted to surface. In fact, they almost did, but not all of them. Ren tucked some stray hair behind his ear and out of his face, keeping his gaze down. "Look, Shira," he started, "you know I didn't ask for this, right?"

She turned closer.

"I mean, I don't... I don't think there's anything I can do. There's peace, but not the kind of peace people wanted, and I'm just a kid from the South Pole who can't even waterbend properly." If he had poured his soul out earlier in his journey, he wouldn't have felt frustrated. Instead, he would've felt hopeless. Ren's heel began tapping rapidly against the rocks. "The waterbenders were wiped out like the Air Nomads so I've got nothing left. I can't even communicate with my past lives, I can't reach _anyone_ , and I don't know what to do.

"The world doesn't need an Avatar," Ren finished, finally turning to face the blonde beside him properly, "I'm no Avatar."

 

This didn't seem to come as a big shock to her. It was like she already expected this, or she had known all along. Shira lifted up her circular charm, putting it around Ren's neck with the simple drape of her hand. When he gave her a quizzical look all the woman did was smile, saying, "You'll reach them somehow, sweetheart. It takes time and you've got a million things going on that you are already worrying about. The Air Nomads were pretty much the only true experts of meditation, so don't expect to get it down right away."

"Meditation is something I really, _really_ don't know how to do.."

"Heheh... Of course not. Like I said, you're worrying about too much." She pressed the tip of her finger against his temple. "I meditate often," Shira admitted, "It helps me move on, it helps me calm down. I feel closer to the world. You just need to accept that there are things you can't control, understand that, and breathe. Even if it's just for a moment, you need to be at peace. It'll take some practice but I'm sure you'll get it." Her nail dragged along the side of his face as she stood up. "The world can wait a while longer."

Shira walked towards the woven case of brambles, scooping it up and tossing it over her shoulder. When she turned around, her form was enveloped by the final rays of the day. Ren was mesmerized, his jaw going slack. Blonde locks burned gold, ruby lips shone like actual gems. A breeze carried the loose folds of her clothes. A goddess stood before him. Her voice rang like bells in his ears: "There are always things you can do, Ren. Avatar or not."

He could feel someone standing behind him. They might have said something - who could be certain, because the air wisped away their voice. It was only a laugh anyways, warm and bubbly. Shira must've felt it, too, because she smiled. "You are _my_ Avatar," she said, "and I will believe in you no matter what you decide to do."

**~#~#~**

Toru stood at the top of the stairs, fiddling with the woven charm hanging off his pack. He didn't say anything outloud, but his expression screamed how confused he was; where did it come from and how did it get here, he was probably wondering. Ren snickered behind his hand. Shira and everyone else that lived in the village of Pong Hei had come to see them off after breakfast. No one seemed to be thinking about the Avatar that lingered before them, but instead they were only interested in the _boy_ standing there. Each one said goodbye, individually and with great care.

Eventually the raven came over to exchange his thanks in the way of bows. Especially to the Healer, an older woman, who ultimately saved his life. It had taken more time than they could afford to spare but now they could make a straight shot for the manufacturing estate. Ren stopped in front of Shira, looking up with a broad smile pulled across his face. "Thank you," the teen said, "For everything, really. For saving my friend, for taking care of us-" He pat the heavy lump in his bag. "-and the coats. Hopefully you'll find a use for our old ones."

"We always do."

"And for...for helping me." Nothing he had ever said before - as far as he could recall - possessed as much sincerity as that. "I'll try.. Well, I'll do my best."

She wore the most elated expression on her face, bending down and taking his face between her hands. "You're going to be amazing, no matter what you decide to do." Pulling him closer, Shira planted a kiss against his cheek. Ren's entire face turned hot and red, like he had suddenly caught Toru's fever. When she pulled away, he noticed that her lipstick had smudged. "Never forget that you're welcome here any time," the blonde reminded him, "Never ever forget that I'll be here waiting for you, sweetheart~" 

Ren nodded, cupping a hand over his cheek once he was let go. With a final word of farewell, the two males went on their way and took the steps almost two at a time. They were to head east now - a journey that may take almost the remainder of the season thanks to the mountainous terrain. It was so close now... At the bottom, both Ren and Toru turned around to wave. 

 

It was almost sad to leave this place. The waterbender dropped his hand down to the withering charm around his neck and smiled, almost blissfully. This didn't go unnoticed. As Ren took the lead toward the east - they'd pass Pong Pong's shrine on the way out - Toru made a comment. "Do you think he'll wait for you?" he asked. It was almost obvious what he was implying; Ren's face was still red hot.

He waited a moment to respond, beginning to climb over boulders behind Pong Hei as their journey continued. "I hope not," he confessed. It wasn't until they reached Pong Pong's statue, where he paused to bow to the figure, that he added onto it. Slowly, Ren lifted his head, smiling towards the sky. "She's beautiful, she's incredible. She'll meet her perfect someone soon."


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With only the sea between them and the Northern Water Tribe, their destination is within reach. But something beckons to Ren, drawing him in. What's one more detour?  
> The abandoned manufacturing estate - the ruins of the Northern Air Temple - is calling...

Snow blanketed the ground. While it was more than capable of hiding the sheer height of the mountains behind them, it also hid the rest of the world under a cover of white. The ocean had turned aggressive as it slapped against the shoreline, white caps spiking in the distance. It had been so long since Ren last experienced snow - almost three years - so it was like standing in a dream. A very cold, toe-biting dream. It was lucky that Shira had provided them coats thicker than what Kajiko had set them up with, otherwise this would've been hell. 

The journey over the mountains had taken longer than anticipated. There were a few detours they took that cut _through_ them rather than going over - thankfully - but it added way more time to the journey. Right now, Toru was getting them a boat from the last little remnants of a town previously overrun by the Fire Nation. They were bartering for a cheap deal; after all, who was going to sail out in weather like this? Ren shifted uncomfortably against the chill, his toes turning blue bit by bit. Covering them with pieces of cloth did little to help and pulling away the snow didn't do as much as he thought it would've. 

Frostbite wasn't something he wanted to deal with before getting to the North Pole. Imagine the ridicule he'd get if he, a South Pole native, nearly lost his toes to frostbite of all things! He shivered, folding in tightly around himself. His ears were hurting, his nose was running, and his bones were hurting like an old man. "This sucks..." he grumbled softly. Patience wasn't his strong suit. Still, it could've been worse. Thanks to the ocean, the temperature remained far more consistent than it did in the mountains, and he might've even dared to say that it was _warmer_.

"My grandpa told me about them!" giggled a little kid a few meters off as he dug through the snow with his friends. "People that could fly like birds! Sky people!"

One of them nearly fell into the pile they had made, gushing, "No way!"

"Yes way! They just, y'know, disappeared when this sun-like thing hit their mountain."

"What's this about sky people?" Ren found himself interjecting, lumbering over to the kids in all of his many layers. They gave him confused looks, a little wary but more interested in why he was so underdressed for the weather. When they didn't respond, he gave a frustrated huff. "I thought the Ai- sky people were extinct, so wasn't this like a hundred years ago?"

The gremlin leader pouted. "No way, my grandpa isn't _that_ old," he argued, "It was like, ten years ago or something."

"Where was this mountain?"

"Why should I tell _you_?"

_'Little turd...'_ Ren quietly swore. He cast a look to the right, then to the left. Crouching down, he whispered, "I'll make you a fun slide if you do. Wouldn't that be exciting? Bet your parents wouldn't do that for you." The kids didn't even need to tell him their answer; every single face glowed like the moon, bright and excited. With one more cautious look around to make sure no one else was looking, he untucked his hands from the safety of his coat.

 

They watched every move like a pack of owl cats. Ren brought his arms out over the snow and pulled up. The deep freeze liquified, following the slow, curving motion before turning into a crystalized, icy ramp. Some parts of it had hardened mid-drip, but that only added to the aesthetic. He was lucky that the kids didn't know about much beyond their home. Two of them began their climb, but the leader of the bunch held true to his word. He pointed further east towards the mountains beyond a small, spaced out forest. "They lived over there," he reported before scurrying off.

Satisfied, and painfully cold, Ren turned to walk away. He slammed face first into a very warm body, the sudden change in temperature making his skin crawl with goosebumps. First and foremost, the teen glanced up to see who it was, and when he recognized the rather pointed expression he did the _opposite_ of stepping back. Pressing closer, he huffed a chilly laugh. "Don't mind me," he joked, "just trying to get warm.."

"Seriously?" Toru asked sternly, "Did you _really_ think that waterbending this close to the North Pole was a good idea? If somebody saw it then we're screwed; there's only so many places the Avatar could be running to from here."

He scowled, looking up again, "It was necessary. Believe me, will you?" An argument was the last thing he wanted - especially when they were about to spend god knows how long out at sea. Stepping away, no longer interested in the bitter body warmth Toru was exuding, the teen took a look behind the raven. It seemed the barter was a success, because a small dinghy was resting behind him, pulled along by a thick rope. He folded his arms tightly over his chest, tucked his hands securely under his arms. "Out to sea then?"

The atmosphere softened for a beat. Toru nodded, stooping to pick up the rope he had dropped. "Out to sea," he confirmed, "I'll pull, so why don't you push the back? Once we get this baby in the water it'll be a straight shot North."

 

It took much longer than anticipated to push/drag the boat to the shore. They made sure it was a little ways out of sight before setting it against the cresting waves. Before they pushed it out into the ocean, Toru gestured for the teen to sit down on its edge. Confused, and a little hesitant, Ren did as he was told, his feet just barely touching the ground. The firebender shrugged off his bag, dropping it into the belly of the dingy as he dug through the contents. He pushed aside rations and thin rope, eventually pulling out a pair of boots to show off.

When Ren wore his vacant expression, Toru rolled his eyes, getting to a knee in the snow and carefully resecuring the teen's sandals. "Look," he said, his voice a little quiet, "the last thing _you_ need is to lose your toes. I know more than anyone how much it sucks, so consider this me making up anything I owe you." The boots slipped up over the sandals with a little bit of force, but it was far warmer than just facing the elements. "Figured we wouldn't need Fire Nation money where we're headed," Toru added, "so I got us a boat, you some shoes, and me some gloves." Just as if reminding himself, he bent his blackened fingers, grimacing at the sight before he got back to work.

 

The gesture was far kinder than anything else he had ever done, and for a moment, Ren considered rubbing it in his face. Except, something caught his eye... The map had slipped out of Toru's bag, partially unfolded and brandishing the north-eastern corner they were in. To his surprise, it was different than the one he had seen in Pong Hei with Shira. This one marked an abandoned manufacturing estate while the other had read something that, by recalling, completely rocked his world: 'Northern Air Temple'. He looked up, focusing dead ahead for the trees and the peaks behind them. 

Wind whispering in his ear, heart pounding, emotions flickering between wary and nostalgia; he made up his mind.

Toru had barely finished helping him into his boots when the waterbender sprung off of the boat. He swung a hand back, freezing the boat in place so that it didn't float off before breaking out in a run. Against the snow, he didn't make it very far before a hand snagged his collar like a kit. "Where in Roku's name are you _going_?" the raven demanded, his grip tight. "You are NOT about to go running off when we're so close to leaving, do you hear me? There is nothing left here and there is no reason to go exploring. We've lost too much time."

It was hard to find his voice. The thoughts churning in his head didn't sound like his, so it was like finding a specific grain of sand along a twenty-meter long beach. Ren mumbled at first, eventually turning to face the other. "I..." He swallowed. "I need to go and see it.."

"See what? What could be so important that we need to postpone for another minute?"

Ren in turn reached up and held the raven's wrist, almost weakly, almost tenderly. Something in his chest was aching. "Please, Toru.." he softly pleaded, "The Northern Air Temple is here.." A flash of recognition crossed Toru's face, but it was more like surprise. " _Something_ is there. Something I need to see.. There's a dream I've been having, with a person I can't see, and there's always a temple in the sky. I have to go before I lose this chance.."

 

The grip on his collar crawled closer and closer across the fabric, pulling loose from his own hold. Coarse fingers padded along his neck, curling around to the base of his skull. A slight tug that pulled him a little closer was enough to separate the whirlwind in his mind. Again, he was shaking, and this time the snow around him had dispersed in a feverish push. "Alright, kid," Toru ended up saying with a soft voice, "Just breathe a little bit. Let me get my gloves and we'll _both_ go.. What's one more sight, right..?"

"O-okay.."

**~ ~**

The forest was just a whisper that remained, the ghost of something before itself. Where there once stood tall fir trees was now charred brambles. Many of the trees had been blown to pieces of bark, burned to ash and mixed with the fallen snow. It was a lingering stain now - the event that injured this forest was a memory left behind. On their way to the base of the Northern Air Temple, a deep void opened between them. Its corners appeared natural but the center looked like it had been forcefully ruptured open. For now, it meant nothing, just hinting at something else...

Ren's movements had turned calm and controlled, even as he pulled forward a smooth bridge for them to cross over it. Even against the ice, he had better footing than his companion. The chasm was deeper than the eye could see or the softly drifting snow could reach, enough to make his stomach do flips at the sight. He snagged onto Toru who nearly slipped off the edge, and Toru grabbed onto him when the tremors that racked over his body returned. They kept a wary grip even after the bridge was crossed; the warning hung in the air that something was waiting for them.

At the base of the mountain, they craned their necks to try and see beyond the cloud cover. As far as either of them could tell there were no traces of a temple - was this the right mountain..?

Yes.

 

Toru pressed his hand against the snowy mountain side, forcing out more heat from his palm to melt through the layer covering it. "No way up," he reported, "Looks like this was a dead end, kid. We should go back."

The teen shook his head and took a couple steps back to get a better look. He said, "We can't stop here. There has to be something else.." They were surrounded by snow, by crystalized _water_. Of course there was another way to go. Once again, he extended his hands out over the snow, easing his breathing to slow puffs. Up down, up down, his hands lifted with his fingers pressed together and lowered with his fingers loosely outstretched. He could feel the resistance.

Under their feet, the snow hardened to a thicker layer, and beneath the plate the snow gathered up, raising in the form of a towering mound. It took them up only part of the way - to wherever the mountain extended further - before Ren hopped off. Naturally, Toru was a bit more reluctant to follow; he had just lost the safety net that was the ground and stood on a mountain that had been untouched for over a decade.

This was how they scaled the mountain, mound by mound, wrapping around it like a tendril and pulling off of it more snow to use. When they came to the cloud cover, Ren's anxiety peaked. He didn't know what to expect now that he was here. He didn't want to see much of anything. If this was all a disappointment then the case would be closed; end of story. Pausing for breath, he put a hand against the mountainside. His head was so clear, his lungs were so empty, and it felt like something was going to happen.  
Part of him needed to go higher, a part that wasn't fully him. _It_ wanted to see more than he did, really. So it was time to ascend higher.

A glance at Toru warned the firebender that they were about to make the final leap. He nodded, tensed in preparation. It was like clockwork the way Ren lifted them up, faster than all the times before and higher than ever. It would be easier to break through the clouds all at once rather than waiting in the chilling air. His eyes closed tightly and refused to open until _after_ they had risen.

"Monkey feathers..."

 

When Ren opened his eyes, his heart sunk into the farthest recesses of his chest. They were on the final incline towards the top, but at the top was only the _remnants_ of a temple. It wasn't decrepit or centuries old; that would've been the best outcome. Instead, more than half of the central temple was missing, completely blown open and scattered out of sight. The structural integrity had been utterly destroyed, torn apart beyond recognition. Spires had crumbled, towers had collapsed, bridges had fallen. Ren's heart broke, and deeper within him, his soul sobbed.

**~ ~**

"It was an accident," Toru told him, dusting the soot from off his hand. They stood in what used to be a courtyard. Dull emerald green shingles lay around their feet, mosaics were in ruins. When Ren didn't answer, the firebender kept talking. "If this had been the result of an attack, the consistency of the ash would've been different. I would've been able to tell it apart, I'm sure of it. It wasn't militarized or anything like that. Just cause and effect. Something set off an explosion - it was a big one, too, must've been building up - so whoever lived here, they must have..." He stopped.

Ren was in his own little world, freeing his legs from their terrored stasis and proceeding to wander around aimlessly. He found a hallway and disappeared into the shadows within. His mind was running rampant, filled with emotions he appreciated while simulataneously despising. This wasn't the temple from his dreams; the relief was refreshing. It looked _similar_ for sure, which meant he was on the right track. Those were the good things, but the bad were almost crippling all together. 

There were people here over ten years ago, they were being mentioned by the youth of a neighboring town. The people that lived here had been remembered. So, what happened to them? He jumped over a gap in the floor, following a staircase down to a different level of the temple. This was where he found rooms - most of which seemed to be in tact if you ignored the hole blasted through the center. Part of him was well aware that seeing the destruction in the home life would kill him, but still it was that foreign part that compelled him to move; it was that foreign part that needed to see.

 

He nudged a door open with his foot, both relieved and disappointed when he saw nothing of interest beyond a moth-chewed blanket. In the next, he saw an abhorrent pile of stones crushing the bed, the hole in the ceiling leaking in bright white sunlight. This was the same style in most of the rooms he found, even as he descended the floors. At one point, Ren noticed he was heading up, higher than he had ever thought he could reach. Near the top, on one far end of a bridge, was a study. It was filled with delicate parchment, dried ink, and little contraptions of steel. On the desk, a candle stand sat empty.

It seemed like the explosion didn't damage too much of the room, leaving the relics untouched until now. A very blatant trap door stood out to him, even amidst his daze. Ren stooped to open it and nearly fell down the face of the mountain; beneath the study was a massive space of nothing, blown to smithereens a decade ago. _'This was the source..?'_ he silently wondered. The entire temple this side of the study was gone. History was lost, blown from all records...

The hatch fell shut as he continued exploring, picking along the bookshelf. Most of the pages had been worn down over the years and turned illegible. There were even some drawings here and there, curiously enough. He shuffled through them, absentmindedly looking at the faded graphite dragged across each piece of parchement. Ren couldn't make out the titles, he couldn't even distinguish what the drawings were. They only seemed vaguely familiar - he had seen them somewhere before.. At the bottom of his stack was perhaps the most recent drawing of a balloon with a basket suspended below it.

"Oh, that's...cool..." Ren's voice failed. The design was _too_ familiar for him, too recent in his mind. He had seen it before. Growing frantic by the minute, the brunet flipped back through the pictures, peering more closely than he had before. These weren't drawings, they were plans. Somewhere in the middle was a rectangular shape with ovals along its side. It had a hatch, it had a rotating mechanism, it had...tracks... The one beneath it specified the rotation mechanics, and the one two pages before that detailed the main body with the hatch and all. 

 

This was a manufacturing estate for the Fire Nation. In his haste he had completely forgotten. Here were the designs and plans for steel contraptions, capable of conquest. Looking around with his spirit crushed, whatever remained of the temple left a bittersweet impression in his mind. Ren let the papers flitter to the floor and discarded them completely. He left the door wide open, he hurried for the courtyard where he had last seen Toru. Along the way, he passed a large set of doors unlike any other he had ever seen before that hung off their hinges, blown loose to reveal a large emptiness beyond it, but it didn't matter.

Maybe the people that lived here weren't all part of the scheming, maybe it was only a select few. He couldn't be angry with them; not when they weren't here anymore. Some of them had to be alive. Just, a darker part of his brain hoped that the one who made these contraptions wasn't one of them.

_'Kindness first, don't forget..'_ reminded a stray thought, foreign in origin.

 

Toru wasn't where he left him. He was out on one of the balconies overlooking the snowy mountains, looking at the infinite sight around them. With a slow approach, Ren stood beside him, making sure to fix his expression before speaking. "I think we're done here," he said, "We can leave now.." The firebender didn't respond. In fact, it took him a minute to react, turning to look at the other. His eyes screamed apology, his eyebrows emoted an incredible heaviness. Ren tilted his head.

The raven led him back into the temple, following the hall for only a short moment until they arrived at a large room. He let out a breath, admitting, "Even I could recognize these, Ren. I'm... I'm sorry." Without another word, Toru pushed the door open, revealing the contents of the room to be a bunch of wooden poles with a certain kind of papery material acting as wings along the top and wood grips protuding from the base. 

There were dozens of them, more than could be counted just by looking. Off in the corner was a long seat with wheels and one of the same contraptions that the room held was attached to the top of it. Specially designed with care, made with someone in mind. Ren stepped closer to the collection, confused, concerned, and hurt. "They're gliders, the ones Air Nomds used," Toru said, "And they're not old. The people that were here, I think they were... I think they were actually-"

"It's not," Ren interrupted, stooping to pick one up off the stone. "These aren't the same.. The ones the Air Nomads used were designed for airbending, so they don't have a grip hanging off it or wings that are stuck out like this while at rest. They're just designed...similarly..."

"How do you know?"

"I...don't.. It's just a feeling."

 

He cast one more look around the room. One final look. It broke his heart three times over. Picking up a second glider, Ren trudged out past the firebender, keeping his head down as he said, "Please... Burn them all... We can't let... _I_ can't let these be found.." Toru seemed a little surprised, hesitant, but he seemed to understand soon enough. "No one needs them anymore.."

Heat turned the frigid air humid, fire illuminated the darkest recesses of the room. Paper wings crinkled and hissed while wood splintered apart. More history was being destroyed, yes, but not a soul existed here now. Ren stayed beyond the threshold until he heard the flames die down to sizzling ashes. He'd be damned if he didn't stick around for the final moments. When the sun hit - when the explosion ignited - the sky people disappeared. Now that a new sun was setting, their wings melted away. With a sharp inhale, the brunet started back for the open balcony, Toru following close behind.

 

They stood together above the clouds and above the world. This high up they were unbothered by the falling snow, watched over by a cool sun as it crossed its peak in the sky. The days were blissfully short now as winter crept over the horizon. Soon he'd be eighteen. He'd be a man by just about every definition; he had only missed out on the coming of age ceremony that the tribes held, a pinnacle of his people's culture. It was sad when he thought about it, but this wasn't the time to be thinking. Ren held out a glider for the firebender to take.

When he received a crossed, don't-you-dare sort of look, he barked out a quick laugh. "The last two gliders in existence," he mocked, "high above the clouds with no real way down, and _you_ want to be picky?" Toru scowled which only came off as more amusing than it did threatening. Begrudgingly, he took hold of the glider's handlebar, wearing it in front of him while he let the tail and wings extend behind. 

He glanced over. "This looks right, doesn't it?" the raven asked. Ren only snickered. "I'm serious, kid, this better not kill me. I mean, how do we know these even work? If they're not Air Nomad design then what's to say it won't just collapse?"

They should've been allowed to take all the time they needed. This was light hearted fun at the top of a mountain, with the remains of a civilization under their feet. Just two benders in the sky. Before Ren could tease a little bit more - a small bit, that's all he wanted - a dark shadow dropped in the corner of his eye. They were _quick_. Alarmed, he chucked his glider in the shadow's direction, his own instincts saving them in the nick of time as dark red blades pierced the wings. It was thick enough to stop two of them, but one tore through, whizzing past Ren's ear.

 

"What was that?!" Toru shouted, trying to undo himself from his glider for a look.

But Ren saw the eyes. Those eyes screamed danger. Gritting his teeth, the waterbender did the only thing he could think of; he ducked underneath Toru's glider, threw himself into the raven's back, and shoved him off the temple's cliff. He was screaming all the way past the clouds. Ren could only hope that the gliders really did work and all he'd get is an earful later, rather than having to dig up a frozen firebender out of the snow.

The torn glider fell against the stone with a soft tap, slow and careful. On the other side of it was a woman dressed in thick red and black layers, with murder in her tawny eyes and her knuckles clenched around sharp knives. A question posed itself: how did _she_ get up _here_? When did she get arrive? How long had she been there? Why was she attacking in the first place? Slowly, Ren lifted his hands, unsure of what would happen next. 

"You've got nowhere to run," she snarled, tensing behind her raised arm, "You're going to tell me where Zuko is, and then you're coming with me, _Avatar_."

The chance that this was all coincidence got ruled out immediately. She had a reason for standing there, a reason for brandishing her knives. Talking wasn't going to get him out of this. Ren didn't even have a chance to speak because soon the raven haired woman was running forward with her arms behind her. Her steps were silent and quick, the flurry of an oncoming storm. 

 

She swung her arm out in front of her and a set of knives came shooting from within her sleeve. Each pointed blade was precise, requiring a quick response from Ren as he dove and lurched every which way. In his attempt to avoid getting cut, he lost track of the woman right up until he felt her murderous intent glowering from behind. A sudden searing heat ignited in his arm when she struck, the teen flailing to create distance. The snow was splattered by a deep red and was smeared aside when she lunged again, knife after knife whistling through the chilly air.

Ren rolled against the stone, stopping on one knee as he guided a quick stream from the waterskin around his waist. For once, he didn't forget to bring it along. It caught the knives in its tip, freezing as it passed over them. They clinked when they hit the ground but, as Ren should've expected, his hunter had been expecting him to bend; she wasn't phased in the slightest. He pulled the stream back over his arms and held up his hands again. Water was around them - he had the advantage - and yet something told him this wasn't a battle he could win.

The woman glared the same intensity of daggers that she threw. She said he was coming with her, so why did he get the feeling that she'd rather have him dead? Two more daggers, one for each push of water from the tendrils on his arms. He swung them right back at her, forcing her to move out of the way - and further back. Ren lowered the tips of the water down to the stone and reered them back up again, pulling with it a sudden wave of snow that he had moved from under the balcony. He spared a glance higher up, to another level of the temple. There wasn't as much water up there, but it'd give him a better chance of formulating a game plan. Besides, his attacker was no bender; it'd take her longer to reach him again.

His arm strained and new blood pittered against the pristine white floor. He could worry about it later, if he made it out of this situation. Ren freed his arm from the water tendril to allow the wall of snow a chance to fall. In that time, right when the woman reemerged with the fling of her knife, the waterbender had gathered up as much snow around his legs as he could, pivoting on his heel to force it around him. The knife whistled again, cutting through the snow caccoon, but that was all a decoy. A thick stream of water burst from the top, carrying Ren with it until it couldn't reach any further. Then he was free falling.

 

There had been just enough momentum to carry up to the next balcony a level up but just barely. His chest slammed into the stone first, his hands grabbing frantically at anything that could support his weight before he would slip back to the ground. Thankfully, his fingers lodged between a loose brick and the floor. Whatever strength he had was exhausted in his struggle to pull himself onto solid ground, where he didn't have to dangle precariously close to the edge. 

Ren was chilled to the bone, his little stunt rendering him damp and frigid. It was a simple matter to dry himself - the air made quick work on its own - but now he had to devise another plan. Panting feverishly, the brunet staggered to his feet, looking around for something he could use. His glider, though useless, was back with the woman. Maybe it would've still worked, or at least slowed his fall enough to make up for the lack of lift. "You idiot.." he grumbled, brushing his hair back out of his eyes. The wound on his arm felt brittle, like the frost would make it tear with any slight movement.

He had time, though not nearly enough. It was never enough. In his attempt to calm down and think, he bent a stream of water from the piles of snow to fill his waterskin a second time. He heard footsteps, then the sharp inhalations of breath. Ren whirled around to face the threshold of the temple just as the raven haired woman burst into sight. When their eyes locked, she charged dead on. Her arms were swinging by her side this time, which must've meant she was out of knives. That still didn't mean he could win an actual fight against her.

Whatever plan he needed to make, he needed it now. Ren risked a look over his shoulder, past the edge of the balcony and down at the clouds below. Falling meant he had more chances to catch himself, right? Or maybe luck would be on his side and he'd learn to fly. Whatever fate awaited him down there was a million times better than what was chasing him. With his mind made up, all it took was a good push.

She had two knives remaining, braced between the knuckles of each hand, and swung each gleaming blade at his open wound to start. Staggering away, avoiding injury, that was the only motivation he needed. Tossing up a sudden puff of snow to blind her, Ren tossed himself off the edge of the temple. Time slowed down immensely and his breath slowed in his lungs. The raven haired woman threw her final knives with pinpoint accuracy, he saw every move as he twisted his back to face the earth. Beneath the clouds, a shadow was lurking, growing larger with each passing millisecond. 

Ren had never been so calm in his life. He had never been so focused. He was thousands of feet above the ground and soon to fall back into its rugged embrace, yet he still had the capacity to bend. From within his water skin, the liquid he had just refilled it with came out as he began to drop. Swinging his arm, the teen guided it toward the knives. It passed over their glistening blades and towards their wielder, freezing in seconds. She wore her shock on her face as the ice collected on her outstretched arms and whatever didn't follow a straight path instead freezed around her legs when it hit.

It was cocky - god, it was so cocky - but despite his predicament the teen grinned. She couldn't possibly follow him now. Though, not like anyone else would ever want to. Time returned to its quickened pace and Ren felt the wisps of cloud cover begin to dampen his clothing. 

_Woooosh-!_

 

He actually smacked against something hard and stiff, something that crinkled when he moved. "I've got you!" Toru barked, titling the large glider to coast back behind the mist. It took a solid minute for everything to register, to process the fact that he was _actually_ flying. On his back no less, legs dangling and hair waving wildly. Ren burst out into laughter, smacking his hands against his face. It was so unreal!

Had the material of glider been any thinner, had it been shorter, and had Toru been a moment behind, then it's hard to say what would've happened. If they had burned away every last one of those gliders, this wouldn't be happening. Ren turned his face to try and peer through the paper wings. "You're really something else," he praised the raven, "Fast learner?"

In response, Toru gawked, " _I'm_ something else?! Says you! You're lucky you're so lite, otherwise you would've torn through or even snapped the whole thing!" Despite his scolding, there was an amused lift in his tone. No matter who you were, this was a wild chance. It shouldn't have worked; Lady Luck was on their side this time. They only needed to ride the wave all the way north. Hopefully it'd hold out that far. "Do you, uh...know how to land this thing?"

It was going to be a fun ride down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!
> 
> Yes this chapter's ending didn't seem super practical once I reread it, but it kinda did.   
> I do hope I'm doing well by means of storytelling; I hope this chapter left the impression I wanted it too :')


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing to do at sea. Not a thing. But when the Winter Solstice arrives, Ren manages to find a way to entertain himself.

A strong hand pat against the side of his face, the lump under him rising and falling with an alert breath. It took too much effort to wake up himself so the waterbender settled with burying deeper under his coat. His mattress sighed in annoyance. "Kid, seriously," Toru called, giving a few more pats against his cheeks, "I think we're starting to drift the wrong way. I need to correct it. Or better yet, _you_ fix this. Consider it my surcharge for being your living heater."

It was getting more difficult to wake up with every day that passed. Nights were ruthlessly cold, the ocean was unforgiving with its occasional splash of frigid sea water, and honestly Ren had no idea how he made it through life living in the South Pole. His eyelids were practically cemented shut by the frost on his eyelashes. Blindly, he struggled to find the sleeve of his coat. A warm hand pulled it within reach - this obviously wasn't the first occurrence - and Ren aggressively rubbed it against his eyes. The friction warmed the stiffness in his face, making it easier to blink behind his eyelids. Once he was properly able to open his eyes, the dazzling sun caught him off guard. And so did Toru with his closeness, again.

He mumbled an apology, pushing up and away from the firebender before taking his seat near the bow of the dinghy. The only reason the nights hadn't frozen them over was the blessed humanly feature of body heat; with one of them running more warmly than the other, it was an added bonus. Ren rubbed his eyes sleepily, careful this time, before casting a look around at their desolate blue surroundings. They disembarked from the Northern Air Temple about a week ago. Their destination wasn't as straight of a shot as they initially expected, so it was necessary to veer to the northwest. They were getting closer for sure because now Ren could see chunks of ice floating in the distance.

"We're fine," the teen determined, "The more icebergs we find, the better. They congregate more around the central pole than you'd think. It's colder there than anywhere else... Even now." Winter had arrived - there were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It took longer to reach the Northern Air Temple than he thought it had, because there was no denying that familiar bite in the air. He shivered and folded as into himself as possible. Sooner or later, the need for body heat would exceed the nights and they'd have to remain close together during the day if they were going to survive. They needed to get to the North Pole quickly. Still, it couldn't be more than a week out from where they floated now. Even if it was the polar opposite - get it? - of his home, it still had familiar tones.

 

Toru dipped the oar into the water and propelled them a little further along - whatever helped, he seemed to be thinking. He sighed, sat back down, and puffed a cold breath into his gloved hands. The raven seemed hypersensitive about the snow, constantly rubbing his hands together to keep them from freezing for a second time. But, there was something on his shoulder... Ren squinted for a moment, resisting against the sunshine. Whatever stood on the other's coat blinked back and disappeared like a passing breath. Perhaps it was just his imagination...

With a sigh of his own, Ren flopped over the edge of the boat, staring at his tired, shaggy reflection. He desperately needed a haircut. Rather, he _wanted_ one. Everything was too long and in the way. Distracted with his thoughts, the teen almost missed the shift under the waves. His watery self wavered as something deep beneath the ocean surface began to rise; he had seen it before from the tiger seals when they'd breach, but this was something else. He didn't dare look away until it shot straight up and nearly crashed into him.

With a yelp he fell into the basin of the dinghy, legs kicking and arms thrashing. There had been no splash but whatever had come exploding from the depths gave a high pitched whistle as it sailed up. Toru was shouting something at him as the boat rocked back and forth, he just couldn't make it out. He stared at the sky as a translucent creature passed overhead, blue in color and so unbelievable in every aspect of the word.

 

It resembled a whale, kind of, or maybe more of a dolphin. It was the size of an elephant koi and had these feathered wings protruding off where its brow would be. What surprised him the most was that it didn't seem to have any plans of coming back down to earth. It whistled again. Slowly, Ren propped himself up with his elbows, staring with his mouth agape. There wasn't a single trace of the creature; no ripples on the ocean surface that hadn't already been there, no echoes, and no shadows. While he was investigating, Ren completely missed the part where Toru pulled the oar back out of the water.

_BAP_

"Ow!" He covered the top of his head as cold droplets fell on him, colder than any snow he had stepped in. Twisting around, Ren shot a heavy scowl at the firebender. "What was that for?!" In return, he got another threatening pass of the oar over his head. 

The blade slapped back against the ocean and Toru leaned forward, glaring a thousand daggers straight into his body. "What was that for- You almost tossed us into the ocean, that's what!" He was exasperated, for lack of a better word, tugging his hands through his hair with a look of disbelief. "I thought we were going to die," he said, "that maybe the Fire Nation had made submarines but there was literally _nothing._ "

All anger that had begun to boil up in the teen's belly dissipated instantly. He sat forward, head cocked to the side. "Nothing... You didn't see it..?"

"See what?"

Ren didn't answer right away, sending another look skyward as if searching for the whale again. _'Maybe I'm just tired..'_ he decided. But something told him that no amount of sleep would undo the craziness he had just witnessed.

**~#~**

Around mid afternoon was when the two picked from their rations. If they ran out of food now, it wouldn't be too difficult to fish for more; they were in Ren's territory now. He may have not fished in a long time but there were methods he couldn't forget. It was a bonus of being a member of a Water Tribe. Still, it seemed like they'd have enough to last them until the very end.

He remained wary, though, unable to relax. They were in the middle of nowhere and yet it felt like something was watching the boat across hundreds of different realities. Toru definitely gave him some weird looks. At one point he even wore an expression that clearly said, 'What in Roku's name are you doing'. In spite of it all, however, Ren's eradic behavior was rewarded. "Up there!" he exclaimed, pointing towards the sky.

A large bird was flying over them, resembling a crane more than it did anything else. Its body was a flaming gold-orange but the long feathers of its wings waving beside it were an amalgamation of all the world's colors. They glimmered in the sunshine of a dying afternoon. Even as the bird flickered in and out of sight between the rays of light, the rainbow glow hardly seemed to fade. Excited _this_ time around, Ren dropped his extended arm to Toru's knee, causing the antsy firebender to nearly jump out of his skin. He grinned from ear to ear. "Isn't that incredible??" he gushed, "I've never seen anything like it!"

"L-listen, kid.." Toru cleared his throat, "I don't see anything. Like, at all. Are you hallucinating or something?"

 

What was that supposed to mean? Ren didn't have a single doubt about the existence of the creatures he had seen thus far. Each one had possessed an almost tangible air, unique to the creature like an individual personality. Before he could grumble something about being completely sane of mind, a twinge picked along his shoulders just as the crane disappeared. Slowly, it dawned on him. His smile fell away and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. "I think... I think they're spirits.."

"Huh?!"

"The two things I've seen so far kind of don't look like they're here," he admitted, "but they're definitely _there_. I can hear them, I can see them, I can distinguish them apart from the rest of sky. You even had one on your shoulder when we woke up." Ren pulled away, crossing his arms over his chest as he racked through his brain. Surely there must've been an explanation; maybe some kind of Avatar voodoo or something. 

Voodoo... Right, maybe he shouldn't be calling it voodoo anymore. He glanced at Toru, the raven staring intensely right back at him. "They may just be things in the spirit world that can cross over, but why cross over? How can they cross over?" There were plenty of reasons why Ren was asking him instead of trying to figure it out himself; the main one being that he still didn't know much about the history of spirits - _if_ anything at all.

Sure enough, he saw the recognition that passed over Toru's features. "Well," he began, "they say that there are two days in the year when the spirit world and our world are as close as they could possibly be." Two days out of the whole year.. If it was just two days, what could've possibly made today any different? All Ren had noticed was that the day was quick to begin, quick to end; it had barely been a few hours since he woke up and yet the sun was already past its peak. This was important somehow.

Ren's jaw dropped so fast he could've sworn he pulled a muscle. "Winter solstice," the teen realized. "It's the winter solstice today, it has to be!" The only other day like it was the summer solstice, when the days were impossibly long. His smile returned with twice the amount of energy. "Toru, I can see spirits!"

"No surprise there, really.. The Avatar is basically a spirit himself, isn't he?"

"How should I know?"

 

This was all a mystery to him. The closest encounter he ever had with the spirit world was probably in his dreams with Avatar Roku, and maybe that one night where he spoke with a woman who looked like the moon. _That_ was an eternal mystery... Ren scratched at his head and watched the waves pass them by. His mind lurched at random moments, filled with equally random thoughts. Spirit world this, Avatar that; what exactly would be the next best thing to do with this information?

Why did he feel inclined to do anything at all? He didn't know how to communicate with the spirit world. His meetings with Avatar Roku had been at his weakest moments, when his body and mind were both too weak to resist the pull. Thinking back, when was the last time he had an Avatar-related dream?

That's when the sight of the temple flashed before him. If only he could just picture the temple himself, picture that _kid_ he felt drawn towards...  
Hey, maybe he could...

**~#~**

  


The sun began to dip over the horizon, casting its dying colors across a clear sky and painting even the ocean a heavy orange blaze. Ren was missing his only opportunity. He had no idea how to meditate, no clue how to reach out and locate someone specific like he intended to do; it didn't help that he had no way of recognizing the boy even if he did manage to find him. Besides, there was no way of knowing if the kid had any influence in the spirit world or if he had just been some random, recurring dream. That time he had been pulled out of the Avatar State by Toru should've been proof enough, yet he still had doubts. In his absentminded state, the teen nearly ripped his fingernail off with his teeth. Shira had helped him understand the whole process conceptually but he had nothing to show for it. She said to practice - there was never an opportunity!

He glanced up at the sleepy male across from him. Toru's head kept dipping to the side, his eyes lulled shut as the boat rocked softly against the cold ocean. Soon the air would be too frigid to move, much less focus on spiritual mumbo jumbo.. Groaning loudly, Ren shoved his head right into his hands, pulling at his bangs in frustration. Everything kept telling him to hurry up but he just didn't understand how! He couldn't even motivate himself properly.

Toru stifled a yawn. "What's s'matter, kid.."

"Do you know how to meditate?" He would take anything he could get at this point. Desperation made him ask the one person he _knew_ didn't meditate; the raven was too stressed and too disinterested in everything. That also may have been an appropriate description for himself.

The raven was slow in his answer as he tossed his head side to side, running a hand up his neck. "Not...really," he said at last, "Can't you just do what you did last time?"

"Last time?"

"Yeah. With the moon."

Right, the moon lady.. She had really been a spirit then? But that had been nothing special. All he did was look at her, talk to her, and move on; no meditation had been involved. When he gave Toru a confused, pointed look, the firebender rolled his shoulders. "Last time, you were cross-legged and had your fists together, at the knuckles. So, basically, just sit however you're comfortable and _feel_ it." For emphasis, he waggled his fingers in the air and made a whooshing sound with his mouth.

Ren scowled softly. "Loads of help you are-"

"You're welcome."

"-but how can that be all there is? If meditating was that simple, couldn't everyone do it?" Nonetheless the brunet crossed his legs under him, appreciating the warmth it brought more than anything else. His hands met loosely in his lap and twisted his fingers together. He chewed his lip, pulling at the chapped skin with a small grunt of thought. When he thought back, the only formal introduction to the "practice" was Shira, and she said he had too much going on in his head. So, maybe that was the key.

 

He closed his eyes and exhaled one last time through his mouth. He pretended he was bending, or at least making good on the breathing lessons Zaken had imparted to him. It was so different from his usual technique that the results were almost instantaneous; when was the last time he took a chance to breathe? Breathing in, then out. In, then out. Separating from the chaos in his head was like pulling out of the marsh - sticky and strenuous - but progress was made. Slowly, Ren lifted his hands to just below his breast plate and pressed his knuckles together.

Not too tightly, though. In fact, as he started to relax, even the taught tension in his eyes lightened and it was like he was sleeping; his posture slackened but not enough to make him fall over; his fists remained gently pressed together. Another breath, deeply inhaled for three beats before being released completely. 

Keeping his eyes closed, he pictured the temple in his mind, pictured the sunset and the creamy stone. Autumn leaves and chirps of birds, the brush of crisp air and touch of warm light. Next to him, an airy presence; happy, joyful, but still aching. _That_ was where he wanted to go when all of a sudden, something in his chest lurched like he was falling. The water around him rushed out of sight and he could only barely feel the pressure of the bench beneath him. All he saw was the cold, clear sky and the setting sun on the horizon. More spirits, small in size, floated past him in numbers he could never hope to count as they blinked in and out of this physical world. When he turned to look around, everything about him was wobbly and floaty. The sights, though gradual for only a moment, sped up.

 

A voice beckoned in his ear, far and wistful. It sounded young, like a child - this must've been it! He looked towards the sun and squinted against its rays, straining to see something. He could _hear_ him, but how did he plan to reach him? Where was he headed? A silhouette appeared against the blazing orb, growing larger every moment he stared. Whatever it was had a collision course with the brunet. Deep down, he hoped it was the spirit whale. 

**_"ROOOOAAR!!"_**

"Not a whale!" Ren squawked, flailing through the air in an attempt to move out of the way. To his dismay, it was more like trying to swim in a pool of ink. A dragon the same spiritual blue as the whale was racing towards him. It had no plans of stopping or even slowing down. By the time he could distinguish the scales on its snout it was too late; he was a goner.

It flew around him in a whirlwind of power, spiraling around and around like a vortex. The gale it created threatened to pull him every which way. He shielded his head with his arms, bracing for when sharp teeth would bury into his flesh. It was his first time ever seeing a dragon - not to mention a _spirit_ dragon - and now he was going to die. As the torrent of wind began to fade, Ren realized that he could no longer hear the splash of the ocean's waves. He couldn't feel the presence of the dragon encircling him anymore either - though it was still nearby.

"Do not be afraid, Renya," a warm, familiar voice called to him. It chuckled when he didn't answer. "Fang wouldn't hurt you."

Slow as a slug, the waterbender lowered his arms away from his face. The world he stood in bore no ocean, it wasn't even arctic in nature; instead, he stood atop a flat mountain surrounded by dense, sun-hazed clouds. The air was warm here, warm like a summer evening as the sun began to set. Wherever Ren stood now - physical and real, tangible in every sense as to opposed to how he had started to feel - was a different part of the world; the sun was almost _done_ setting in the North Pole.

Then, he saw him.

 

Avatar Roku smiled softly, untucking his hands to lower his arms to his sides. "It's been a while, hasn't it," he commented, "I'm almost hurt." He chuckled again when Ren averted his gaze. The corners of his eyes crinkled in a familiar way as he said, "It's good to see you."

Was it really? Ren scratched the back of his head and looked around. None of it was familiar to him; the temple he sought out was nowhere to be found, but he could sort of feel that ebbing presence beside him. "Where am I?" the teen asked, "How did I get here?"

"Your spirit is back in the Fire Nation, your former home."  
He couldn't tell if Roku meant it in an almost congratulatory way - Ren had lived in the Fire Nation for three years - or if it was reminiscent of his old home, in another life. 

However, there were many things wrong with this. He scowled at the ground. "This isn't where I wanted to go," he admitted, "so how did I get here?"

"Fang found you wandering and brought you to me, while we still had time to talk."

"Fang..?"

Off in the distance, he saw deep ruby wings break through the clouds with a single beat before diving out of sight. The dragon gave a deep hum as it flew around the mountains, unbothered and a little uninterested in the two Avatars. Ren's jaw, in turn, dropped. "I... You had a dragon?"

 

Roku nodded, "We did. Every Avatar has an animal guide." He waved a hand out in front of him and clouds manifested in his palm, shifting between the shapes of various creatures Ren had yet to even see in this world. "When an Avatar is reincarnated," the elder explained, "he takes his animal guide with him. They are usually reunited during their youth and form an everlasting bond that transcends time itself. Even if history makes no mention of the guide, they still lived."

It was...interesting, sure, but not at all what Ren was looking to hear. In fact, it was almost disappointing. He frowned, huffing, "I don't have one. There's no way I do. I didn't interact with any animals beyond the fish I caught and released or the polar dogs." His face scrunched up at the thought of having to carry a bucket everywhere he went just so his **halibut** animal guide could stay alive. How pathetic would that have been..

Still, the previous Avatar gave a quick, knowing wink. It was as if he was saying, 'In due time'. He dropped his hand just when the cloud shifted from a dragon to some unfamiliar shape, dissipating with the wind. "Our time is almost up, Renya," Roku informed him, "I'm sorry to say that I have nothing more to tell you. Nothing to advise you on. It was through chance that we met today.. I'm impressed that you managed to project yourself."

 

His expression fell. "What do you mean..?" Ren croaked, "That's it? If you've been with me this whole time, then surely you know about the things I struggle with and don't understand. Isn't reconnecting with my past lives part of the job?" The Avatar didn't answer and only watched him with half-lidded eyes. His voice boiled in his throat, bursting out aggressively as he went on a tangent, "How come I'm even here? I wanted to find that kid more than anything else, I wanted to figure out who he was!"

Nothing.

"And what about me? I've done so many things wrong, I've hurt creatures with blood- with bending, and was haunted in return. I get I made the mistake but why did that even _happen_?! Why does it exist, Roku, huh? Why did I even succeed with it?! And right now, what if I'm making a mistake?!" He had begun to tremble, the anger simmering to deep-seeded fear. The sun was setting. "I don't know what is happening..." Ren choked on his tongue. "I don't- I don't know who I'm supposed to be... What happens after we get to the North Pole? What if no one is there, or it's only the Fire Nation..? I can't fight them off.. I don't _want_ to fight them off anymore!"

The sun dipped into the horizon and sent the world into darkness. He couldn't see Roku's figure anymore, couldn't hear Fang's wings beating against the wind. Beneath his feet, the mountain disappeared. A presence at his side flickered softly, but he couldn't discern it from the emptiness enveloping him.. Ren's shoulder was squeezed by a warm, comforting hand. "Renya," Roku echoed clearly, his tone almost apologetic, "The Avatar is a mystery in and of itself, one that needs solving. But do not fear; you have time, you have the _ability_ to save this world within you. You've done it once, you've done it twice, you've done it hundreds of times over. You're still young, you can make mistakes as you go along."

 

_"Perhaps you are broken, child. But then again, so am I.. I have faith in the choices you will make."_

**.**

  


His vision was blurry, hands dropping limply to his lap. Somehow, despite the ache in his chest, each breath remained steady. A light flickered in the blue tinted darkness just out of sight, causing Ren to lift his head. Across from him was still, thankfully, Toru. The older male was giving himself light as he dumped the contents of their bags into the belly of the boat. Old articles of clothing filled the bottom, making a warmer layer of bedding. He was shivering, his breath perhaps being the only thing that warmed him.

Night had fallen and the stars of an endless galaxy twinkled overhead. That was their guiding light; brighter than ever, the northernmost star blinked. Ren sniffled, hurriedly rubbing both his nose and his eyes against his stiff sleeve. Toru looked over with blue lips, quickly balling up in the nest he had made. His eyes scanned the boy's face, eyebrows furrowed. "H-hey..." he shivered, "You okay..?" When he received no answer - Ren just forgot to speak is all - he pat the space beside him. "C-come on over, kid.. It's fr-fr-freezing.."

With a slight nod, the waterbender pushed himself off of the bench and scrunched up into a ball the moment his body hit the makeshift bedding. Out of the wind was warmer, but his ears hurt.. His eyes hurt too, but that was something else entirely. In search of comfort, for reassurance, he glued his eyes to Toru, watching his every move. The raven was no doubt aware of this, still he took his time to tuck any loose folds of their coats into the gaps of their limbs while exposing one of his frostbitten hands to the chill. Every now and then, the flame in his palm would waver. 

Toru tossed a sudden, fiery burst into the air, illuminating their surroundings one last time and providing a small bit of heat as he curled up beside Ren. He hastily stuffed his hand back into a glove tucked them under his arms. Though they were in "bed", neither of them were falling asleep, shivering in silence. Body heat didn't seem like it would be enough and yet Ren was almost...surprised, when he realized that part of him didn't care. He felt empty in that moment, despising his contact with the spirit world. A thousand tons of pressure sat on his shoulders, placed on him without much warning. He had understood the bare minimum of _what_ he was, yet it didn't mean he had ever considered the full extent of it.

 

"Th..is...isn't gonna work.." the raven rasped after a few minutes, glassy eyes flickering to Ren's own. "C-can't you get cl-close...r..?" Once again, he received a blank stare. The brunet didn't mean to be so frustrating and stubborn, he had really just lost the motivation to talk. All he wanted to do was exist in that moment, to be in the company of a friend. Toru sighed - shuddering the moment the cold air was brought back into his body - and untucked his hands. "F-fine... I'll do it.."

He wrapped his arms around the teen's body and pulled him as close to his chest as possible. The position forced Ren to move his arms, about to stretch them down in front of him but giving in when the cold chewed his fingers to the bone. With a small mumble - something like an apology - he slid his hands into the safety of Toru's jacket and wrapped his arms around his torso. Their legs tangled, Toru made an overdramatic spitting sound when he got Ren's unkempt hair in his mouth, but in the end, this connected, knotted position was marginally warmer than just pressing together. 

A warm breath continued to brush against the tip of his ears, eventually slowing, gradually, Toru fell asleep. The cold didn't disappear completely but it became easy to ignore until Ren realized all too late that he was falling back into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, basically a filler chapter. I danced between tossing it and including it, but it felt necessary. My friend read it over and said it was kinda like a little bit of a dabble, more carefree but presenting a new take with Ren and Roku's first _formal_ encounter during a Solstice. It varies greatly from Aang's since, at least then, there was something to prepare for.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, after an incredulous journey across the world, they arrive at the North Pole. 
> 
> The Fire Nation has left its scar on the people, the landscape and the culture, but the Northern Water Tribe persists. They are the only ones who remain after the extinction attempt, the only ones who still follow their way of life. Ren must find a waterbending teacher and earn the trust of his fellow tribesmen, however he isn't so easily trusted. Especially not when he has allied himself with a monster like Toru.
> 
> No matter what may come in this final segment, it may be too late. Fate has set the gears in motion; the Northern Water Tribe _will_ fall.

"I can't believe it..." Ren breathed with a hitch in his voice, "We're really here..." It only took a week and a half longer to make it than he had thought.

The wall before them stood dozens of meters high, built and scultped with great care from the eternal snow. However, that was only on the edges that connected to the mainland; filling the middle was a steel barricade bearing the emblem of the Fire Nation, bolted crudely to the stiff, icy walls on either side. No one stood in the guard towers, no one walked across the bridge. There were no defenders in sight.

Toru didn't dare to speak, as anything from him could've set the waterbender off in a fit of anger. Now that they arrived at the North Pole, Ren felt immense disdain towards his companion; he had not forgotten about what the raven, what the ex- _soldier_ , had contributed to. He refused to look at him unless absolutely necessary.

As the ocean pushed them closer to the wall, the waterbender stood on top of his bench, holding his arms out in front of him. He didn't know what lay on the other side, he didn't know the layout of the tribe beyond, but at this point, he only wanted in. Focusing on the snow, Ren pulled his hands closer to his chest, carving out an adequately boat-sized hole in the barricade that melted back into the cresting waves. When they rocked into the tribe, he repaired the opening. The bow of the boat grinded up against a snowy bank and, with very little hesitation, the brunet climbed out.

**~~**

They picked their way along the canals that ran through the tribe. Though, at this point, the scale of it resembled a city above all else; a city scarred, burned, and replaced by smoke and steel. Buildings looked more like, well...buildings, than they did a piece of Water Tribe architecture, but he didn't have anything to compare it to. All his tribe used were skins and furs for their homes, so the only thing _shaped_ had been the lone watchtower and its flag.  
At least _his_ people still had that... The culture was wiped clear from the north.

He saw heads poking into view from the open archways on the upper levels of the homes, cautious and wary. They looked at him with curiosity, but when the snow crunched and they turned their gaze to the man behind him, every single soul cowered out of view. For a moment, Ren felt sorry for them. He hadn't meant to cause them pain by bringing Toru here. They had just come too far to suddenly split. 

Ren refrained from bending for as long as possible and instead found alternative routes to the center of the tribe. He took stairs, bridges, rooftops - anything he could get a footing on, really - and after what felt like an hour of walking, there was no other choice. A final, massive canal where all the others joined together stood between him and the large palace against the far wall of the tribe's snowy valley. He could hear the murmurs behind him, hear the snow crunching and the waters sloshing from side to side with the weight of a raft. By arriving, he had amassed a small crowd.

 

With a low, even breath, he tossed up the water in the canal with three wide jets. Their spray joined together and freezed as one with his exhale. His audience gasped, someone even shrieked, but he didn't turn around. It was a tall bridge, more heavily arched than it needed to be, perhaps. Still, Ren and Toru picked their way across. When they reached the stairs leading to the courtyard of the palace, guards in fur coats and some Fire Nation soldiers without faceplates finally stood at the top. 

He didn't feel afraid.

The Fire Nation soldiers there had every single quality of a native, from the brown skin to the blue or gray eyes, to the dark brown hair on their faces and the shape of their jaws. Ren recognized them all too painstakingly well. Not only that, but they wielded water tribe weapons, standing cautiously and uncertain. The brunet came to a stop at the base of the stairs, grateful for the remaining warmth of the centered sun. Toru shuffled behind him uncomfortably. 

 

"I've come to see the chief," Ren stated clearly.

"State your business!"

"I come from the Southern Water Tribe," he responded, "I'm the last remaining waterbender of the sister tribe-" It felt so gratifying to say _that_ above all else. He'd sooner die than forget where he came from. "After coming all this way, I just want a moment of your chief's time."

The guards looked between each other, unsure of how to react. At this point, this late in the game, he could understand their hesitance. The southern tribe was just a husk of its former self, stripped bare by the Fire Nation. Even if his appearance screamed volumes about his origins, who could really say for certain? However, Ren never realized how determined he was until now, when they pointed their weapons down at him and, in a unified, shaky call, said, "No. You'll be coming with us for questioning."

Did they dare to stop him? Did they _really_?

Despite their refusal, Ren began to ascend the steps, popping the cork out of his water skin. "Ren!" Toru hissed from where he remained rooted to the spot, "Seriously, don't do this! Just let them take you in and explain yourself..!"

He snapped his hand forward, the stream swallowing around a guard's spear and yanking it out of his hold. With a soft crunch, the tip of its blade landed in the snow two yards down by the base of the stairs. From the way each man reacted, from the way they flinched and panicked, it was safe to assume they hadn't seen waterbending in a long time... That crushed his spirit. Ren let the stream fall lifeless against the snow, absorbed into each crystal like a sponge. "I'm not going to fight," he assured them, "but I've come too far to just go quietly."

His presentation didn't help his case - once again, maybe he should've listened to Toru - but he didn't have regrets, even as the men in Fire Nation armor started their approach with blades and spears. Nonetheless, he had stalled just long enough, looking ahead as a long shadow was cast over the steps. A man with a necklace of sharp canines and a pendant shaped as into emblem of the Water Tribes, with beads in his dark hair and gray at his tips, with narrowed, wrinkled eyes and thick furs along his collar, stood before the whole of the Northern Water Tribe - the entirety of which had gathered around in their disbelief. 

 

He stared for a moment, brow furrowing. "Who are you?" he asked in a husky voice. One of his guards tried to explain but was completely dismissed by the wave of his hand, forcing the man to stand down. It seemed the chief wanted to hear from the newcomer.

Ren took one step forward and startled the soldiers around him. "My name is Renya," he declared, "I hail from the Southern Water Tribe as the last waterbender in the whole South Pole. One of your own, Zaken, is in my tribe's care and has been for over three years. I came for your council and your council alone." It felt well-practiced when he spoke, but, quite frankly, it was all orchestrated on the spot. The only reason this was any different from his encounters with other people was the level of confidence; he finally made it, he had a reason to be proud.

The chief descended the stairs, blatantly ignoring the calls of warning from his personal guard and the haughty looks of the Fire Nation soldiers. He stopped in front of Ren as a deep shadow cast itself over his features. He stared, he glowered, but the brunet held his ground. Finally, the chief clenched his fist and placed the back of his hand against his chest, brandishing a sorrowful smile. "The moon is on our side," he breathed, "Welcome home, brother."

**~#~**

It didn't take much convinving to get the chief - Arnook was his name - to allow them a private meeting. As they entered the grand palace hall, where waterfalls poured behind a stage, one of the guards snagged Toru's arm, yanking him back. Arnook turned around, brow furrowing. "What are you doing, Kumaan?" he questioned, "Let the man go. He is with our brother here, so he is welcome." Kumaan did so begrudgingly, glaring daggers at the raven before taking his post before the door.

Ren and Toru sat on their knees before the throne as Arnook took his seat beside a lovely, middle aged woman that had been waiting patiently. She gave him a concerned look but was dismissed by the gentle smile and soft nod of her husband's head. A third seat remained open beside her, perhaps left there for their child. It came time to speak, to explain himself outright for the first time _ever_. The only problem now was that Ren didn't know how to proceed from here...

Thankfully, Arnook seemed patient, kind, and above all else understanding. He must've understood the implications of the journey from the sister tribe to the other end of the world, he just didn't understand the context.

 

It took a moment to calm the brewing storm in his stomach, to find a word with which he could begin. Ren lifted his head. "I came here in search of a waterbending teacher," he explained. His spirit was crushed even more when he saw the apologetic, regretful look overcome Arnook's expression. Still, he went on. "I'll take anything I can get, any practice will be enough. Even if you have no masters, I'd willingly accept the teachings of someone who has _witnessed_ waterbending. I don't know how to possibly express to you the importance of me mastering the element.."

The chief nodded slowly. It became quite clear that he was about to lay down some thick history; undoubtedly, the fate of his tribe. "Renya," Arnook began, "I wish, truly wish with all of my heart, that I could help. My heart goes out to you and your people, for you have lost more than us. But that is something I cannot give to you. During the last attack against us-"  
Toru flinched.  
"-we lost all of our waterbenders. From the oldest man to the youngest boy, even some of our women were taken from us." He grimaced at the memory and clenched his fists in his lap. "Our scrolls were burned to ash, we have no more records. The only waterbenders left here are healers, women incapable of bending with the techniques you need to learn. They are our last connection to the art."

"You have...no one..?"

"I must admit we have one, but he is barely scraping by. He is an old man, sickly and feeble. It's been years since I've seen him walk..."

 

That was it. They reached a dead end. Ren's head drooped and his shoulders hunched. All sense of calm was burned away by the sweltering anxiety - he just...couldn't believe it.. Even as Arnook went on, he was only half pay attention; "We were lucky to have made it out of the defeat with our government still in place. The only control they have instilled are soldiers made of our own men who are, unfortunately, forced by fear; their families are threatened, you see... But, we are together, which is all I can be thankful for."

Blah blah blah, talk talk talk. He didn't want to hear it. Ren was panicking... God, he was panicking... There were no other waterbenders in the whole wide world except for him, so how was he supposed to master his own birth element?! He bit back the sob bubbling in his throat.

"You're welcome to stay here," Arnook offered, "You're one of our own, after all. I'll gladly set you up with clothes, a job, a place to live. Anything I can provide, I offer to you. Just forgive me for not being able to help our sister tribe.. It is perhaps my greatest shame."

_'Please, stop talking...'_ the teen begged, _'Just... Just shut up please...'_

"However, I must apologize for not being able to offer the same kindness to your friend."

 

Ren's head snapped to attention, eyes going wide. He moved just in time to see the flicker of hate crossing Arnook's eyes, even as the chief himself tried to hold it back with a wiry smile. "Young man," he suddenly said, all attention turned to the firebender still kneeling before him, "where are you from? Forgive me for being so rude to profile, but you look a great deal like those who came to conquer us." _Then_ came the unhindered, smoldering glare. "I have a people to protect, you know."

The only time Ren had ever seen intense fear in the raven, in the three seasons they had known each other, was only briefly against Kajiko, or whenever his safety was greatly threatened and he couldn't escape it. This was, perhaps, the only time Toru looked terrified for his _life_. "I'm... I'm a no one," the male forced. When it became clear that his lie wouldn't be believed, he lowered his head in shame, "From...the Fire Nation, s-sir.."

"You've been here before." Not a question but a statement. An irrefutable, undeniable, inescapable statement. 

"...Yes..."

Arnook stood up and loomed over the firebender, raising his hand. "I should've hoped you'd be smarter than to return here," he snarled. He snapped his fingers together and, behind them, Kumaan opened the grand doors. An army flooded in with spears and blades, every single body wearing the furs of the water tribes and representing the chief's personal guard. Kumaan had tried to apprehend Toru when they entered, but now as a people they had the chance to do it together; avenging their brothers.

 

Ren clambered to his feet, looking desperately between the guards and the chief. "Arnook.." he stammered, "Why are you... What're you doing??"

The chief had only ice in his eyes. "My duty," was his answer, "You will not share the same fate as him, Renya, out of our connection as brothers. In the name of our sister tribe, I'll be damned if I condemn you for something you didn't do." He pointed at Toru as the firebender, petrified, stared back in silent horror. "He, however, is not omitted from _anything_. Take him away!"

In response, the guards gave a loud, unified grunt, circling in with their blades pointed. They expected Toru to fight back - Wasn't it obvious that he _couldn't_?! Shame kept him from speaking but he was genuinely fearful of what lay in wait for him. He crawled back on his hands, floundering for his voice. Ren whirled to face the guards. "Don't touch him!" he shouted, stomping forward to confront them. It was Kumaan that shoved him aside and sent him staggering across the floor.

His eyes held unbridled hatred and disgust. "Intervene and I will attack you as well on the grounds of treachery," he swore, poison dripping from every syllable. "I'm doing my duty to my brothers, what have _you_ done for your people?" Kumaan signaled his men to close in.

Ren scowled, bristling like a cornered beast as he forced himself between the blades and the firebender. "Don't you touch him," he growled, Something swelled in his chest. His entire body felt like it was vibrating, trembling against a tangible chill. "Don't you _dare_ touch him!!" The linear flow of the waterfalls hitched and snapped to the side irregularly, exploding outward in powerful jets that shot as far as the opposite wall. The force was enough to crack straight through.

 

Arnook's wife screamed and many of the guards froze in place, weapons clattering to the floor. Some of them dropped to their knees, pressed their heads close to the floor and muttered words too fast to be understood. The violent twinge of energy escaped from Ren's body almost as quickly as it had manifested, the teen panting for breath while the flow of the waterfalls returned to normal. Whatever it had been, it took a massive toll on his body. Still, who was to say that it hadn't just been a sudden outburst of rage? Emotions did play a crucial part in waterbending, after all.  
No matter what he tried to convince himself of, the look of disbelief on Kumaan's face and those of the men around him told a different story.

So, for the first time every, he would own up to it.

With one last breath to soothe the ache in his lungs, the waterbender straightened his posture and turned around to face Arnook. The chief looked like he was in a shocked sort of daze, staring with wide eyes. His lips moved but he couldn't find his voice; his only choice was to listen now.

"Perhaps I should've put it differently," Ren declared with a tone of unyielding resistence, "I'm the _last_ waterbender of the South Pole. I am the last waterbender, _period_. I was imprisoned for three years in the heart of the Fire Nation before my _friend_ -" He jabbed a finger down at Toru, holding Arnook's stare. "-helped break me out. I am wanted, hunted, and feared by the whole of the Fire Nation. It's been almost one hundred and twenty years since the Avatar disappeared and I am _eighteen_." 

Somewhere along the frigid ocean, Ren knew his birthday had passed.

His message seemed to be getting across just fine on its own but he couldn't let there be any uncertainties. Not when the threat on Toru's life still existed; fear wasn't the way he wanted to be known, there were just no other options. Ren glared over his shoulder at the guards who, under his gaze, dropped whatever remaining spear, blade, and weapon they still brandished, even going so far as to drop to their knees. It almost surprised him that this was their innate reaction - they must've made the connection.

Returning his attention to Arnook, he took a challenging step forward. "Take Toru away," he warned, "and it won't matter if we are tribesmen or not. I'm not limited to the same sentiments you are, Arnook. Not anymore. You must know now that it doesn't matter if I haven't mastered water yet. If you threaten him, you threaten _me_." Ren brought back his shoulders and held his head high. This would be the first time he declared his identity. He never would've suspected that it'd be done with this illusion of control.  
His heart quaked - was it from excitement or anxiety..?

"I am the _Avatar._ "

  


He didn’t know what kind of reaction he wanted. After using fear as a means of getting his point across, Ren didn’t actually know what he _needed_ to hear. No one dared to speak, no one dared to move. All eyes were focused directly on him; he could feel each individual state with painful clarity. Arnook hesitated to even breath it seemed, eventually lowering himself back down to his seat when his knees threatened to buckle. Ren knew he himself needed to relax but it was difficult.. His guard refused to lower on its own, his body refused to detach itself from the frozen floor.

“I...can’t believe it..” the chief finally mumbled, scrubbing a hand over his face, “If what you say is true... Why, it couldn’t possibly be-”

“It is, sir.” Kumaan kept his head down but his fist clenched against the ground. He trembled; it couldn’t have possibly been fear, though. “He hardly moved at all to control it, his eyes _glowed_. I think it’s...undeniable..” The captain of the personal guard raised his gaze. Ren honestly couldn’t tell if he was glaring or not. “The Avatar is here,” he stated, “And he’s on the side of the Fire Nation..”

Now, that was the _exact_ opposite of what the waterbender was trying to express. Did these people not listen?! Or was it just that he had been unclear.. Ren could feel more panic festering in his chest. He didn’t want this to become an actual fight. He didn’t want his words to be misconstrued, and yet, at the same, he couldn’t go around claiming to be able to fulfill a goal that hadn’t even crossed his mind properly before now. Simply saying, ‘I’m here to save the world from the tyranny of the Phoenix King’ wouldn’t cut it.

 

He took a breath, staggering as he forced the tension out of his body. When he lowered to his knees, it took all Ren had to not face-plant or come down too quickly. The teen kept his head down and, all at once, pressed his forehead against the floor. “I’m on no sides,” he argued, “I’m barely allied with you as it is. I’m just trying to protect my friend; even if it means I have to fight you all.”

Arnook didn’t speak.

“I need to learn waterbending,” Ren went on, “so that I can master the first element. This has nothing to do with whose side I'm on, I just can't bare to abandon the one friend I've managed to keep." His mind disconnected from his mouth but the words never stopped pouring. "Believe me, I want to... I really do, maybe, want to help this world. But there's nothing I can do right now, not as I am. Arnook, I will take any training you can offer, even if it's just speculation. I meant you no harm, and if I made you doubt my intentions, I'm sorry. I don't really know what happened myself..." Despite what he was saying - what he _thought_ he was saying - Ren couldn't bring up his head again.

Was he saying too much or not enough? Was his apology sincere enough or was it too late? All of these were questions he couldn't answer. Next to him, he felt the heavy warmth of another body as Toru scoot himself closer to the teen. He could move again, knocked from his stupor to serve, once more, as a form of support. 

  


Eventually, the chief let out the breath he had been tightly clinging too. "I...understand," Arnook decided. His tone betrayed just how shaken up the man really was. Nonetheless, he let his professional demeanor take control. "I, too, am sorry. For many things.. We won't bring harm to your friend - Toru, was it? And I'm sorry that it had to come to this; nothing can excuse my actions, not even the darkness my tribe has faced."

Ren heard the shuffling and shifting of cloth, signs movement as Arnook stood up. He took this as his cue to raise his head; the chief's expression was somber. Arnook's jaw clenched as he spoke, "Unfortunately, no matter how sick our remaining waterbending master is, or however much better he seems to get, he has refused to take on anymore students. I'm sure you can understand why, considering what happened."

So, it still wasn't enough..?

"Avatar or no Avatar, I'm truly sorry, my friend." Arnook shook his head at last, cementing the conclusion of their journey north. "We have nothing to offer you.."

Though the waterbender nodded, he felt his soul crumble under the grief. All of this time, they could've just stayed where they were. Perhaps they wouldn't have had any luck going south, or any luck at all had they not pushed through, but it was all for nothing. Ren couldn't believe it. His body sagged against Toru beside him as his vision blurred, warm droplets trickling down his cheeks and flushing his skin with warmth. He hadn't even noticed the tears, not making a single sound nor moving a muscle. Finally, he was falling apart.


	43. Chapter 43

With cold air in his lungs, he let out the breath he had been holding onto.

Ren looked himself over for a fourth time since he got dressed. Whoever was staring back through the mirror definitely looked like him, but perhaps a more natural, truly living version. No doubt was it because, finally, after three long years, he was back in water tribe garb. Covered in blues, it just felt....right, like this was how it was supposed to be. He had kept the black t-shirt from the Fire Nation - the more shirts the better - layering under it a snug pale blue long sleeve and layering _over_ it a long, blue tunic vest. The collar, the tie around his waist, and the split bottom stretch were trimmed with white. His pants were dense, dark navy, and baggy, tucked into the fur of his knee-high, tan hide boots; brandished on the outer most side of each boot was the insignia of the water tribes, serving as a friendly, nostalgic reminder in cool stone.

He just couldn't look away, smiling past the long bangs hanging over his eyes. Oh, how he wished his mother could see him now, back among his people and safe. Relatively safe, that is. Things could always be better, and yet at the same time they could always be worse. So even though the rest of the world had rejected his progress for all that it was worth, for the time being, he was content. 

 

Sunlight poured in from the carved out window in the wall. Beyond it, he had a whole, unhindered view of the Northern Water Tribe from his room within the palace. At first, the teen had denied the importance of having such a view, but over the course of a few nights he had quickly grown obsessed. Ignoring the steel scar in the tribe's wall, the random red flags that tossed around in the wind, and the lingering burn left behind on the snowy structures that froze solid during the winter, it was all he needed to erase that feeling of homesickness. He did miss the warmth of another person, sure, but he got over it after the second night.

It was only right that he went outside; today marked his first _real_ day among his own people. Pulling on a thick, fur lined coat over his head and pausing just a moment to slip on his three-fingered mittens - goodness, he hadn't ever been so warm before - Ren hurried out into the vacant hall. The door to Toru's room directly across from his was left ajar, signifying that the firebender had already left. No surprise there, as it was pretty late in the morning. The North Pole was big, however, so the teen could only hope that it'd be easy work finding his companion.

 

Sure enough, squinting against the dazzling white world as he crossed the palace courtyard and stood at the top of the stairs leading down, he recognized the raven who sat at the bottom. An older man was with him - must've been somewhere in his sixties - saying something he couldn't hear and nodding gently. Poor Toru must've felt extremely exposed and out of place considering the rude welcome he had been faced with a few days prior. Still, politely, he nodded, even turning his head at one point when something caught his attention.

It would've been rude to interrupt, but... "Toru!" the brunet called as he started down the steps. Both heads perked up like wild animals, eyes wide as they focused on him. Perhaps he chimed in a little too inconveniently..? Much to his surprise, the old man smiled brightly, bowing his head. Word must've carried pretty fast for him to be on the receiving end of such a lavish greeting. 

When the old man straightened, there seemed to be something shimmering in the corners of his eyes. Ren stopped on the second to last step before placing a hand on the rail. "My boy..." the elder croaked, "My sweet, sweet boy... Thank you for returning to us.."

"Returning.." Ren dumbly repeated.

His confusion was dismissed. "May Roku watch over you. Both of you- Yes, you too, young man." Toru's ears turned red. The elder bowed once more, sharing with them a final wave before he would shuffle away towards one of the structures a few dozen meters off. If nothing else, it was quite the start to a new day for all of them.

 

Toru craned his neck to look up, leaning so that the teen's figure could block the harsh glow of the winter sun. "Good morning," he greeted at last, "How'd you sleep?"

In response, Ren gave a slight hum. He sat himself down on the stairs with his feet on the step Toru claimed for himself. Turning just so that he could brush his knees against the other's shoulders in search of that warmth the male produced, he blinked slowly, stretching forward as he said, "Good, I think. It's weird though, to sleep in a bed in a place like this."

"Hm? How so?"

"Well, I don't know.. It looks and feels like the South Pole, but we didn't have beds. I get that these ones are low to the ground so it's not too different from sleeping on the floor, wrapped in furs, but you get what I mean." When he saw that confused, lost expression on the raven's face, Ren chuckled. "Okay... Maybe you don't. What about you? How did you sleep?"

This time, it was Toru who hummed, shrugging his shoulders and leaning some of his own weight against the side of the brunet's leg. "I was cold all night.." he muttered, "Other than that, though, it wasn't too terrible. Comfortable maybe.. Didn't know furs could be so nice." He looked around with half-lidded eyes, a slack set of facial features, and a slow lull of his head to the side. Now that they were grounded in one place, that disinterest was coming back. Not like Ren minded too much; this fit Toru's character all too well. After all that they had been through, maybe it was okay to play dismissive again.

  


The whole of the water tribe remained empty as they talked. No one came outside except those leaving for a job or coming back from one. There was no other life in the North Pole beyond the two benders who sat overlooking a dormant world. It only looked like the South Pole, and that was just about where their similarities seemed to end. Despite whatever had befallen his own people, they still carried on with their lives. When the branch of the Southern Water Tribe that moved inland was eradicated, they powered through; that meant children still played in the snow and mothers spoke softly to each other.  
This tribe was immensely larger. Was the damage so severe that no one - not _one_ person - could find it in them to continue?

_'Have it your way...'_ Ren bitterly thought, his fists clenching in his lap.

The raven beside him seemed to notice the shift in atmosphere because he stopped talking about his conversation with the old man. Arching a brow, he looked over, asking, "What's wrong, kid? Are you still not feeling good?"

Good question. Physically... He was peachy. That sudden exertion of Avatar energy had been a little difficult to bounce back from, but he managed. Mentally, well, it was iffy, but emotionally he felt distressed. It was just hard to believe that _this_ was what had become of Zaken's precious tribe; for almost no reason whatsoever, that was exactly what took the biggest toll on Ren. Still, it's not like he was going to pour his heart out all over the snow.

Shaking his head, Ren dismissed the question. "I'm fine," he countered, "just thinking about home."

For a split second - it passed by too quickly to be sure - a small, gentle smile flickered over Toru's lips. Putting his elbows back onto the step, he tilted his head to the side. "What was your home like?" the firebender suddenly asked, "I heard it was small, and I know you said it was divided and almost wiped out, but what did you _do_ there?"

 

It might've just been easier to tell him. In fact, anything else would've been easier, but the sudden change in thought process from disdain to nostalgia made his heart soar. Quickly rising to his feet, Ren jumped down to ground level, whirling around as he said, "I loved ice skating." When Toru tilted his head, silently asking what he meant, that just made things even more exciting. He extended his hand out to the raven. "You probably didn't ice skate in the Fire Nation," Ren admitted as he helped the almost-reluctant man up, "and, honestly, it wasn't something we got to do often. It's a waste of resources to make skates."

"What do you mean by skates? That's just blades on the bottom of your shoes, isn't it?" Toru proceeded to ask as they made for the main channel of the waterway system. "It's impractical. Just put spikes on your boots and you can walk like normal."

Ren grinned, "But where's the fun in that?" The raven didn't answer, instead shrugging his shoulders and allowing himself to be pulled along. When they reached the edge of the aqueduct, Ren released his friend's hand before taking a breath. He already pulled a similar trick in Dasoo, but he had improved immensely since then. For once, the waterbender didn't have any doubts; if nothing _else_ , he had confidence.

Leaping over the edge, he willed the water beneath him to freeze with the lift of his hand, a mixture of ice and snow clinging to his ankles when he landed on the surface. His balance was unsteady for only a moment as frost stretched out in a thick web. Once it gathered against the closest wall of the channel and creeped over the ground, Ren deemed it safe enough for another weight. He turned around, almost bursting into laughter when he saw the look on Toru's face.

When he held out his hand again, the raven _violently_ shook his head. "You've GOT to be kidding me, kid..." Toru wheezed with a step back, "I'm not about to go stepping out onto the frigid ocean with nothing between me and sudden, painful death being _ice_."

"Are you chicken?"

"Not...chicken.. Just cautious."

  


Ren couldn't tease him anymore; the incredibly disturbed expression harbored more fear than it should've. He didn't know what kind of past Toru might've had with ice, or water in this case, and he wouldn't know without asking. The horrible scarring of frostbite probably served as a reminder. Still, he couldn't bring himself to ask. Breaking both feet free and pushing across the frost, turning it even more sturdy under him, Ren's grin softened. "You'll be with me," he reassured, "so if you go down, I go down. Besides, I'm a _waterbender_. We'll be fine."

He must've been more convincing than he thought. Toru reached for him, squeezing his extended hand with the vice grip of a snake before cautiously, _carefully_ stepping down onto the ice. His footing threatened to slip beneath him - it was obvious in the way his legs shook - so Ren opted for pulling him closer. The teen guided his arms, explaining, "It'll be the thickest wherever I'm standing, so put an arm over my shoulders- Yeah, like that. It'll be easier to move this way." With Toru sidled up beside him, together they dragged their feet slowly against the snow dusted ice. 

Coming to the edge of the ice, Ren leaned forward, snaking an arm around the raven's torso. Though he had essentially promised to be careful, he just...got so excited that he kind of forgot. Entrapping both feet in a sort of soft yet tight-fitting grip of snow, he pushed forward.

In response, the source of the chill stretched out even further. The more he advanced, the more it covered and the smoother it became. Toru's tight clinging seemed to ease up once they were set in a standard routine; one of his arms dropped down to his side as he got comfortable. Together, the two benders dragged their feet across the snow in an eager shuffle, until the snow itself stopped clinging to their legs and they were sliding at the helm. 

  


The network of channels became their rink as a very clear path was carved over its surface. Their speed picked up as Ren got more confident in his control, taking sharper turns and even dropping from one aqueduct to the next when they neared the wall. He barked, "Hold tight!" When their current path made to turn, the waterbender dug his heel into the ice and whirled around, the sudden movement splashing up a wave of cold water. It froze solid before it could drop back into the canal, spread outward like the flare of a peacock. The two males were leaning precariously close to the edge, their plate threatening to tip. 

Ren lifted his free hand and the water sunk deeper beneath them. The minute he swung his arm low and ahead, what had pulled away surged right back against their feet and shot them the way they came. Except... He kinda put too much force behind it, the excess wave shattering the path behind them. Toru shouted something _way_ too loudly in his ear, wrapping his arms around the teen's chest tight enough to knock the breath out of him. Since there wasn't any threat to their safety, Ren cackled hysterically, his heart pounding and his lungs straining with the cold breath.

He was back to shuffling through the channels as his "passenger" began to scold him. "Warn me when you do something like that!" Toru shrilly ordered, "I'll bet you didn't even think that through! What if we had fallen in?! That was so reckless, that was so _stupid_ of you to do, I want off this crazy ride!"

  


Their pace slowed. A stream rose from the space in front of them, passing over the snowy ground and connecting to the channel a step up. It froze solid as they crossed it, neither the stream itself nor the ice carrying them wavering. As they spilled back into the waterway, Ren glanced over, lips pursed tightly. He asked in a quite voice, "Do you actually want to stop..?"

Toru hesitated to answer, allowing his grip to slacken slightly. They continued to pick their way through the tribe in silence. In some places, they crossed over an already made patch of ice. The raven looked around for a moment. “Not really,” he confessed, “but you seriously need to warn me before you pull a stunt like that.. And, besides, it’s still fun. Not just for me.”

The response didn’t fully surprise the waterbender; if Toru had _really_ wanted to stop, he would’ve put up more of a fight. Ren followed his stare, having noticed that it latched onto something in the distance. When he found the source, something in his chest lurched.

A little girl was poking out into the open from behind her doorway. Her big blue eyes watched them intently, but the shadow of a parent at her back kept the child from moving. As Ren kicked forward a bit more - a way to gage what exactly she was doing - when the ice shot forward and the water rose with the movement, the girl jolted further into the open. Gliding past her home, he recognized the look in her eyes; _curiosity_.

 

Snapping his head to the side, the brunet stood higher on his toes to reach his passenger’s ear. “I think...I’m going to drop you off,” Ren whispered. Toru nodded almost knowingly as the faintest traces of a smile crossed his expression. Crossing a few more channels, they were right back to where they started. With his hand braced against the small of Toru’s back and his right foot buried against the edge of the aqueduct, Ren helped the elder onto solid ground.

The raven turned partially, dragging his hand across Ren’s shoulders as he slowly rose to full height. What he said next was filled with such joy that, even though it was buried behind his many walls, completely betrayed the relief Toru was feeling: “The kids aren’t scared.”

“They’re not,” Ren beamed, “and I’m going to show them why that’s a good thing.”

It meant the world to him. He had initially thought that everyone in the North Pole only felt fear towards him and the Fire Nation, fear towards the art that may have caused their families to be ripped apart. Maybe the youth was just young enough to be able to move on or maybe even forget. They had the ability to continue where their seniors could not. Ren hadn’t moved on from the memories of his tribe or the scars of the Fire Nation, but he was just old enough where it might’ve been too late. So, if the Northen Water Tribe could move on - even if it was just a few kids - then that was worth every ounce of life in his body.

  


He tucked his hands behind him and skated backwards, dragging his feet with a blind sort of care as the brunet began to whistle. Due to the crystal clear air, the cold breeze, and the emptiness of the tribe, it rang like chimes, sudden and unnatural to the environment. This lured more people - children, specificially - to their doors or windows, peeking with intrigue at the teen who slid past. It went on for a few minutes, his lips chapping and his tones dropping off in random places, but he had just about covered the immediate waterway with ice. From the corner of his eye, Ren spotted his target.

With a slight kick, he jumped from the channel and turned the snow of the walkway to shining ice. He glided just in front of the little girl's door, a lump forming in his throat as her mother pulled her away. ' _Never mind them,_ ' the brunet assured himself, ' _They're not who you're here for.._ ' Luckily, this particular mother seemed just the slightest bit curious; was it because she didn't know what was happening or was it because the Avatar was standing in front of her?

Ren smiled as he crouched down, digging his heels into the ice so that he wouldn't drift away...awkwardly, he imagined. He didn't look at the mother right away. "Have you played yet?" he then asked.

The girl perked up.

"It's important to play every single day," Ren explained with an excitable voice. He spoke just loud enough so that the neighbors could hear. "If you haven't gone outside yet, why don't you play with me?"

 

She craned her neck and stared with wide, eager eyes up at her mother. The woman had yet to loook down at her daughter as she almost _glared_ at Ren. Yet, something in her seemed to be falter... Her lip quivered, her eyes gleamed with a sudden wetness. What was she thinking? Better yet, what was she remembering? "Mama?" the little girl called with a tone like honey, "Can't I go play?"

"N-no..." was her answer, "Not right now, my love.. Not...right now.." When the daughter's expression fell without a word of complaint - she just accepted her fate - a flicker of regret passed the woman's face. This wasn't how she wanted her daughter to feel; no parent could want their kid to feel dejected.

Ren let his smile fall, finally looking the woman straight in the eyes. "I won't let anything happen to her," he promised, "I won't _do_ anything to her. I just...want to see a smile today." It was the truth. He wanted to see the smile of _life_ on someone's face. Other adults had stepped from their homes, clearly listening in to what he was saying, and at the same time trying to see what the mother would do.

She looked down once more, stroking a hand over her sweet daughter's forehead. Her finger curled around a hair loopy hanging from the girl's temple as a small, weakened smile crossed her lips. "Just...for a little bit, okay, baby..?" she said.

 

He stepped back onto the ice and extended a hand outward, parents and children alike flocking to the threshold of their homes. As the daughter stepped out into the light of day, someone gasped. Was it so unbelievable..? She slipped her small hand into his, smiling brightly just from her excitement alone. Ren could barely see her face amidst the furs of her jacket, chuckling when she spat a stray tuff out of her mouth. Keeping a grip on her hand, the waterbender helped her to the ice.

She didn't have skates - he didn't think anyone would have any, really - but once you got your balance, it was easy work to glide on your own. Once certain that the girl had her footing, Ren let her go, pushing back with a careful eye on her. The little girl seemed reluctant to move, reluctant to fall, but something about the whole situation made her big blue eyes glow like stars. She prodded forward, risking it by lifting her foot- He probably should've advised her first. 

Down she started to go, her mother crying out in fear from the doorway. But the waterbender made a promise that he very well intended to keep and he lunged forward, so determined and reactive that the ice under _him_ shifted to a soft snow. It supported him, lowered and lifted him, keeping him moving even after he had somehow managed to snag the girl by her collar; barely centimeters from smacking her face against the ice. When he hoisted her up to eye level and stepped off his snow pile, she had pure elation scribbled on her face.

Ren scoffed gently. "Okay, so," he started to say, "don't lift your feet. Just shuffle, got it?"

"Okay!"

 

Setting her back down on the ice, he finally acknowledged the crowd of skeptical parents and curious children that had gathered around. It would've been...better, to say something inspiring or to try to calm their uneasy. It would've been _appropriate_ to nod or put a reassuring hand over his heart like he was making a promise. It was not, however, okay to do what he did.

Ren stuck his tongue out at them before skating off to cover more ground.

**~**

He didn't know when everything changed, or when it started to make the shift. One moment, he was absorbed in this playful game of ice-tag with Kuna - the little girl - and the next, he was getting pelted with snowballs by a group of small boys. At first, he worried that the intent had been malicious, but when he looked up he saw that they were eagerly making more and grinning from ear to ear. Ren held his arms out to the side. "Is that a challenge?!" he called to them from their vantage point on a bridge.

A few of them shrieked with laughter, ducking behind the rail in anticipation. "Maybe!" they shouted back.

Kuna stomped her foot and nearly fell, flailing to regain her balance all on her own before saying, "We can't let them get away with that!" When he raised a brow in question, he saw that her cheeks had turned pink. "N-Nakko… Well, I just wanna beat him!"

"Uh huh?"

A sudden flurry of snowballs rained down on them, causing Kuna to squeal and Ren to yelp in surprise. From the corner of his eye, as the waterbender twisted over the accumulation of snow at his feet and lifted it up in a pillar, he saw a man retreat back into his home after giving his two children a nod of confirmation. They were running over. The daughter took the careful way up to the bridge but the boy threw himself onto the ice, skidding on his butt with a cackle. Ren felt his chest burn with pride before he sent a total _wave_ of snow into the bridge.

 

Now with a fun, snowy hill down to the frozen channel, the boys made their attack, shouting their battle cries. More kids suddenly seemed to be joining in. Ren lifted Kuna up onto his back and made to flee, noticing how a lot of the newcomers began to play on their own; a kid about ten years old was trying to help another who was about eight stand on the ice, another snowball fight had broken out in front of a few houses.  
Ren never realized how many kids lived in the North Pole until now...

**~**

Nakko and Kuna, it appeared, had these adorable little crushes on each other. After Ren got cornered with the little water tribe girl, the little boy challenged him to a dual. "The best snow sculpture!" he exclaimed, "Snowman! Polar dog! Koala otter! _Anything_ goes."

"What's the prize?" Ren asked, setting Kuna down on the ground before climbing onto the snowbank himself.

"Whoever wins gets to play with Kuna for the rest of the day! A fight between real men, with nothing but our own skills!"

It made the teen smile. Who knew Nakko had been planning this the whole time, hm? Kuna wasn't complaining either, instead covering her beet red face with her hands.

 

The contest started out fair. A few kids joined on the sidelines to make their own creations, but instead got so absorbed in the excitement that they forgot about the waterbender among them. Even Nakko forgot; that is, until he finished rolling the biggest snowball he could and looked over. He shrieked, pointing accusingly at Ren. "THAT'S CHEATING!"

"No it's not!" Ren shouted back, straining to hear from the top of his frozen serpent, "You said our own skills!"

"CHEATER!"

"WINNER!"

Still, Nakko wouldn't be bested, getting to work on the torso of his sculpture. As Ren tucked his gloves into his pockets and dragged his finger through the side of his serpent's face to draw a dopey looking mouth, he came to a decision. He waited patiently for Nakko to finish. When Kuna had to decide between Ren's wingless, legless dragon - he wanted to make Fang but ended up making an eel or something instead - and Nakko's sculpture of _her_ \- round, lumpy, with rocks for eyes and long pieces of fur he had snagged from his mother's coat when she checked on him for the hair loopies - the waterbender stood up proudly on the head.

 

"You shall never win, Nakko!" he stated as he turned his palms downward, "My creation is impossible to knock down, it is absolute!" Subtly, carefully, Ren swiped his hands out to the side and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the snow tremble under him. It turned soft, it _melted_ in the blink of an eye, splashing over the snowbank and spilling back into the frozen aqueduct as Ren fell with a hard _THUD_ against the ground.

Blinking the stars from his eyes, he slapped on a sheepish smile as kids of all ages, sizes, and appearances swarmed around his head. "Ugh..." he groaned, "Never mind... My sculpture just died.."

Nakko, for a moment, looked over his shoulder, staring with wide eyes at the still perfectly in-tact Snow Kuna. He whispered, "Mine...didn't..."

"Congratulations, good sir." Ren snapped his arms up over his head, "You have bested me, your sculpture is better." He smiled and added, "This must be what I get for cheating, huh?"

 

Afterwards, Ren never saw Kuna and Nakko leave each other's side.

**~**

The kids appeared more interested in waterbending than even himself. No surprise there, really, but they ended up serving as his teachers; his dozens and dozens of teachers. They asked questions about if he could do this, or do that, or if he had ever tried to do one thing or another. It was thanks to their curiosity - partnered with his sudden eagerness to try - that Ren actually took the tasks they set out before him seriously.

"How quickly can you pull water from the snow?"

"Like, by turning it _into_ water?"

"No! Like it goes _BOOM_ out of it, all shaped and quick!"

 

"Can you make a sphere around you?!"

"I can."

"Can you fight with it??"

"I....don't know.."

 

One of the boys - the boys were more interested in the physical aspect of waterbending it seemed - turned to face the rest. "Let's make dummies!" he suggested, "And then we can make up a move to hit them that Mr. Waterbender will do! If it works, it's a real technique, right?!"

"My name is- Ah, whatever." Ren rubbed the back of his neck, rolling his shoulders. "Sure, if that's what you guys want to do. Are you sure you don't want to just...go down a slide or something?"

"This is way more fun!" shouted another, already running off to make a crude looking snowman.

 

None of the techniques really worked, of course. That's what he expected. What Ren _didn't_ expect was his own eagerness to keep attempting, to keep adjusting to maybe get it to work. In all honesty, he was rather...terrible, at waterbending. The idea that maybe this was his hardest element to learn - environment, lack of professionals aside - was almost embarrassing. After failing to trap a snowman five meters away in an erupting pillar of snow, Ren shook his head, _'What kind of Avatar is bad at their own element? _' he wondered.  
It suddenly crossed his mind that...this was perhaps the easiest he had ever referred to the Avatar in his own thoughts.__

__

__Shedding his jacket for more mobility, the brunet moved to wipe his brow on the back of his arm. He spared a brief look around - and did a double take when he saw a man and a woman skating on the ice he had set out for the kids. The man looked like he had just returned from his work, wearing thick boots, a belt with a holster for a blade, and gloves without fingers on them for grip, and the woman seemed to be at peace._ _

__They didn't use skates, yet they seemed like they knew _exactly_ how to move. This wasn't their first time on the ice like this; it couldn't have possibly been the first... As it stood right now, they were the only adults to be seen, but something told him that there were more beyond his sight. Wrapped up in the presence of each other, Ren saw that they were in their own world._ _

__When was the last time they got to _be_ in their own, carefree, pain free world?_ _

__

__As the woman rested her head against her husband's chest and they stood perfectly still, his attention was pulled away by the sudden warmth at his side. Turning his head, the teen beamed in greeting, "Hey, Toru."_ _

__"Hey," the raven returned. He spared only a slight glance at the sight Ren had been practically indulging himself in before putting on a crooked smile. "You having fun?"_ _

__"Actually, yeah, I think so." Ren looked at the boys that were eagerly making more snowmen for him to attack, babbling with each other like he didn't exist. Maybe the snowmen weren't for him anymore; that would've been perfect too. He hung his head and let out the sigh he had unknowingly been witholding this whole time. "I'm...glad, y'know?" At his side, Toru hummed in agreement. For a while, neither of them said anything else, looking out over the lively Northern Water Tribe._ _

__

__After a moment, the waterbender perked up, suddenly nudging Toru in the side with his elbow. Once he had the elder's attention, he started to babble just like the kids. "We should fight again. It's been a while, and I'm stronger now. We can bend, too. I don't think you firebending will scare anyone if we do it now, when everyone is at ease, and I need more practice in general."_ _

__"That's probably not a good idea," the man reluctantly said._ _

__"Sure it is. Besides, you _never_ firebend. You need to practice before that guy - the chief of Dasoo, I forgot his name - calls you weak again."_ _

__"He didn't call me weak.."_ _

__"He basically did. You dumb candle- HEY!"_ _

__Toru had taken him into a headlock, scrubbing his knuckles aggressively against the teen's scalp. When Ren strained, he saw the cocky smirk on his face. "Who's a dumb candle?" the raven asked through his teeth, "I didn't quite hear you. If we spar, do you want me to get some tea for you to bend, kid?"  
They burst into a chorus of laughter.__

__**.  
.  
.** _ _

__  
_He couldn't remember the last time he had seen so many people outside at once. The spirits had blessed them with clear weather, given them a warm day and, essentially, brought them a gift. Arnook folded his hands together, smiling against his knuckles. "Thank you, daughter of mine..." he whispered._

__It did his wounded heart good to see the children playing. Even the adults, wary of everything that ever existed, seemed to have let go of their nightmares for now. Even if it was only temporary, it was all they could ask for. At his side, a man grunted, digging his walking stick into the snow as he dragged his feet. The chief partially turned his head to acknowledge the elder. Putting his weight against the cane that supported him, in turn, the gray man pursed his lips, squinting into the light. "That him?" he then asked._ _

__"Yes."_ _

__

__A sudden burst of flame, starkly contrasting the cold blues of the north pole, shot into the air. Kids screamed - was it an attack?! It couldn't have been! Arnook prepared to throw himself down the stairs to rush to his people's aid, only stopping when the end of a stick whacked precisely against his breast plate. He glanced at the elder beside him with wide eyes. "Listen more closely, Arnook," the elder advised, "Those aren't screams of fear."_ _

__Sure enough, when he turned his eyes back to the open space between homes - where the kids had gathered to play and the Avatar had settled down to practice - he saw that the children were huddled together, jumping up and down with their hands up. After the initial scream, it was harder to hear the rest of it. Straining a bit, Arnook separated the tones from those that haunted him. With every burst of fire and snap of water, the kids were _cheering_._ _

__It was only himself and the parents that associated it with fear. The children...perhaps they didn't remember what fire had done to them._ _

__

__"I've made my decision," the elder suddenly stated, hobbling away from the railing as he made to retreat inside the palace._ _

__Arnook whirled around in disbelief. "But-! I thought you said...!"_ _

__He grumbled quietly, "I know what I said, Arnook. Believe me, I know better than you. I don't care if he's the Avatar or not, if he's friends with the Fire Nation or not." The old master straightened his posture - he had never felt so young before - and walking became easier. "But it's not for blood that he's here. He's a fool for coming, but he's a fool who just singlehandedly hid away years of terror."__

__**.  
.  
.** _ _

__  


"You...wanted to see me?" Ren asked as he wandered into the throne room, the firebender hot on his tail.

__Arnook was seated beside his wife, waiting patiently. Though he seemed calm on the outside, Ren could feel the anticipation that prickled through the air, pulling the hair on his arms into an upright position. It was like the breath of lightning was hanging in the room, putting him on edge; he couldn't have possibly been more anxious than the chief was. Both Ren and Toru sat on their knees in front of the stage, hands in their laps._ _

__It took a while before anything happened. Eventually, the older man took a breath and rose to his feet. "I...told you that our only waterbending master was incredibly frail and rejecting the position of teacher, did I not?"_ _

__His chest tightened. "You...did.." the teen confirmed, fists clenching around the folds of his coat._ _

__"I don't know how to put this, Renya. I really don't, but it would seem-"_ _

__

__An old man emerged from behind the pillar closest to Arnook, his cane tapping against the cold floor. "Are you willing to learn?" he asked with a thick, gravely voice. He had a balding head, snowy white hair, thin lengths of facial hair, and narrowed eyes. Wrinkles dominated all exposed skin, and though he hunched, though he seemed to tremble against the air and was unsure of his own legs, Ren felt petrified in his presence._ _

__When the teen didn't answer, he asked with a tone that screamed he wouldn't repeat himself ever again: "Are you willing to learn, boy?"_ _

__"Y-yes." It came out faster than he expected, spoken before he could even think it over. Ren clambered to his feet and turned to face the man. He was, undoubtedly, the last waterbending master. He had more experience than Zaken - that was something the teen could just _feel_ by looking at him - and had the power of the ocean in his hand. Ren swallowed nervously and tensed his arms at his sides. "Yes, sir," he responded more clearly, "I'm willing to learn whatever you can give me."_ _

__The elder smirked and twisted the point of his cane into the snow. "Then, you better prepare yourself, Renya of the Southern Water Tribe," the master warned, because you're about to enter a very cold hell."_ _

__

__Arnook extended his hand outward, gesturing to the man who emerged from the shadows as he introduced, "Renya, this is Master Pakku."_ _


	44. Chapter 44

Just as he had feared, Ren was _terrible_ at waterbending. Over the course of several weeks - maybe even months, he had lost track - Pakku never once failed to remind him just how lacking he was. It had nothing to do with his minimal amount of training, nothing to do with the environment he grew up in; it had everything to do with the fact that, as a person, he was an obstacle to water. How backwards was that? The Avatar was a complete pushover when it came to his native element. That _had_ to have been a first.

He didn't know what kind of teaching he would've responded well to, but when the only option was "tough love", he didn't have much of a choice. Days would end with Ren getting absolutely pummeled, sessions would only stop once he could do the proper breathing, and sometimes he didn't even get much practice with water itself. Pakku put continual emphasis on the motions; do those before pulling the water. It was for self-control... Apparently... And the weird sparring sessions - vastly different from the ones he was familiar with - resulted in him getting ridiculed. As Ren was thrown off his feet for the fifth time that hour, he was beginning to doubt the methods being taught.

Pakku sneered at him from his undisturbed place a few meters off, hands tucked behind his back. "Really?" he demanded, "I'm doing the same thing over and over again, and you're _still_ unable to stop me?"

 

'Stop _you?!_ ' The brunet was practically shrieking in his own head, rolling onto his chest before pushing himself back up into a standing position. ' _You've got decades on me! And you're trying to maim me!_ ' Ren started to miss the soft and lackluster teachings of Zaken about a week ago. This was absurd - Pakku was absurd. Even though his style of teaching put the teen in a constant world of hurt, he had to admit that maybe, just maybe, it actually helped.

Two days ago, Pakku didn't correct his stance, and the week before that he had even _praised_ him! Ren inhaled deeply, lifting his shoulders as he let the frigid air fill his whole body. When he exhaled, the ache was gone. Lifting up his arms, he saw a pleased flicker in the elder's eyes, before he eventually untucked his own hands. "Very good. Now, take control. From the top. Use anything and everything at your disposal."

Despite everything Arnook had ever said about the old man, despite everything he was led to believe, Pakku was still incredibly spry. It was as if he was connected to water itself, twisting his body and waving his arms as the snow beneath their feet started to burst forward. Now, Ren's mistakes always started with him getting to absorbed in the whips, the spikes, the sudden sheets and the waves that attacked him. His priority was defending himself, sure, but it was more important to focus on the _source_ of it all.

A slick piece of ice jutted out from the ground with the speed of a cobra. To counter, Ren pulled up a thicker sheet of ice, listening to the sharp, brittle shatter of the spike breaking apart. He lowered the guard into a versatile stream and started his advance forward, guiding the water over the back of his arms. Pakku had also started to move. Like predators fighting for the top, they began to circle each other. However, just like the natural order of things, the naïve of the two forgot to pay attention to _all_ details; Pakku had slowed his breathing, he proceeded to drag his back foot.

Swinging his farthest arm to the front of his chest and falling forward to catch the momentum, the elder threw himself into a raising mound of snow. He took it by the helm, where the frost moved in a way like water that rumbled against the ground. This wasn't the first time he had done this - Ren just...forgot, that's all. Pakku rode the white wave in a wide-arcing circle, carving a path behind him with the sheer force he moved with. The nose dove and his arms came up to pull the snow apart at his back. A curving snap of his arm brought the first half; a quick pivot and thrust of other brought the second in a heavy roll. 

Ren had enough experience with redirecting, lunging out of the path of the first and coming to face the next head-on. Like he had done before, the waterbender split the wave down the middle, each arm guiding a different part behind his back and over his shoulders as it melted into water. They twisted back together as they aimed for Pakku. He also took this chance to rush forward with it, kicking through the snow that now carried him.

 

It was probably the least though-out tactic in the world. Charging behind a distraction? A distraction that could _easily_ be diverted in a matter of seconds? This was exactly why Ren didn't make a good waterbender. He just...failed to understand what it meant to use water, to move as it does. The jet exploded upward as Pakku ceased its advancement with a simple stretch of his arms, calm and undisturbed. The snow was suddenly pulled out from under Ren and the teen fell to the ground, winded in his surprise but quickly rolling back into a kneeling position.

He pulled water from the air, froze it over his fingers, then swiped his arm out in front of him. Neither the pouring remnants of the countered stream nor the lurch in the snow had yet to settle back down. The waterbenders were set in a damp cover with minimal vision; Ren had _reacted_ , the thin shards of ice whistling through the air. He could only see the silhouette of Pakku as the elder stepped to the side easily - how did he know what was going on?! - and pushed his hands up in front of him. 

For the sixth time that hour, a pillar of ice erupted just a foot in front of Ren and came out at an angle. It slammed into his chest, throwing him into the air only _after_ it knocked the wind out of him. Landing hard on his back, it took a few minutes before he could have even hoped to breathe again. The teen groaned painfully, rocking back and forth as his nerves went ablaze with different numbed, tingling sensations. It felt like he had actually broken a bone this time..

 

A shadow loomed over him. When he strained to peer at it through the blur of tears, it only made his heart sink when he saw the disapproving expression on Pakku's face. Though his ears had yet to stop ringing, the elder began to make comments: "You're trying too hard to get close, you're running around like a chicken who got his head cut off, you're apparently _forgetting_ that you're surrounded by water, because you relied on that finger trick. Again, might I add." He sighed, mulling over the thoughts in his head - a pause for emphasis, more like - before saying, "Ren, you're dedicated at the very least, but dedication will only get you so far."

As if he didn't already know that... Grunting under his breath, Ren propped himself up on his elbows. "What do I do?" he asked breathlessly, "I'm trying, and I don't know how to do anything differently."

"You're telling _me_ that?"

He scowled in response. Eventually, he came to sit on his knees, lowering his head as he went on, "Am I thinking too much? Am I not thinking enough? Is my breathing all wrong again, or am I trying to do one thing and then actually doing the next? I don't want to give up.."

 

After a moment of silence, Pakku began to walk to the opposite side of the courtyard, feet shuffling through the snow. "Then don't," he simply said, "We'll continue tomorrow morning at dawn. For now, go visit the healers. Make sure you're not too badly beaten up."

"Healers..?" Ren repeated as he climbed to his feet, "Where are they?"

**~#~**

After his defeat, he thought nothing could brighten his day. That was, however, until he found his way to the healing huts. This happened to be Ren's first time visiting the healers, his first time encountering anything beyond his current knowledge; Arnook had mentioned that they were only women capable of waterbending to heal, not disclosing anything else beyond that. When he strolled into the hut Pakku had directed him to, half a dozen heads snapped to attention and focused on him like vultures. Ren went stiff, lingering with one foot out the door.

"U-um..." He cleared his throat. "Is... Is now a bad time..?"

The older woman seated next to a mannequin in the middle of the room shook her head, lowering her hands to her lap. "Not at all, Avatar Ren-"

At least she knew his name.

"-we were just in the middle of a lesson. You're welcome to sit over there while we finish up."

Ren took a seat against the farthest wall, pulling his knees close to his chest as he watched. Some of the girls in the hut kept glancing over at him, others didn't seem all too interested in his being there. All in all, what took priority was whatever the woman was teaching them. He found himself drawn in as well. 

 

He could barely make out what the teacher was saying in a soft tone - maybe because his ears had yet to stop ringing - but could maybe get the gist through what he saw. From a small wooden bowl, she bent up a thin stream of water. It didn't seem special, and it definitely couldn't do anything on its own. Still, sitting forward a bit so she could demonstrate, the teacher set the point of the stream to the center of the mannequin's chest.

This was when Ren noticed the carvings in the innanimate body. Trails curved down the arms, around the shoulders and in a congested yet neatly discernable group in the chest. These paths seemed hollowed out. His thoughts were confirmed when the water sunk into the notches, taking on what he could've sworn was a gentle glow. "Remember, girls," the woman said, "not everything can be healed, but if nothing else, then we can alleviate the pain. Our current patient here might've suffered an injury to the chest, so keep it concentrated, like you're filling the cracks." Students nodded diligently.

 

In a few minutes, the girls were dismissed, shuffling outside with friendly chatters. Ren remained where he was, lost in thought over what he had just seen. Arnook had outright _said_ that the healers were waterbenders; he must not have understood the reality of it until now. Lifting his head, he was jolted back to the present when he saw the teacher watching him with dim gray eyes. She smiled her greeting, beckoning him over with the wave of a hand. "You look a little lost," the woman commented.

"Oh... Probably, huh?" He crawled over to her - the distance wasn't that big - and crossed his legs beneath him. "I just haven't experienced a lot, that's all," Ren confessed, plastering on a sheepish smile, "I had no clue you could actually heal with waterbending.. It seems so... I don't know, beyond water? If that makes sense."

She nodded. "It does, don't worry." Still, she made no effort to divulge more than that. Placing her hands in her lap, she cocked her head to the side, asking, "Was there something I could help you with?"

 

Ren took the opportunity to assess the damages. He gave his abdomen a tender pat, testing to see if anything was starting to bruise or not before reaching back to check his shoulders. Instantly, the brunet was hissing in a breath, hand recoiling. "I landed pretty hard on my back a few hundred times," he joked, "It's probably nothing, maybe a bruise-"

"Let me check," the woman insisted, "that way we can be sure that it's _only_ a bruise."

She helped him remove his tunic when Ren found that it was hard to lift his arms any higher than the bottom of his ribcage; thank the gods he had left his parka in his room, otherwise this would've hurt much more. Sliding his other layers down his arms where he could curl his fingers through the fabric, the teen hunched forward, shuffling every other minute. He craned to look over his shoulder, eyes wide as he tried to watch her bend the water.

 

Her palm touched between his shoulder blades and, within seconds, cool relief was sent through his body. The searing heat he had been feeling frosted over, his nerves calmed down, and the tension practically melted out of his form. Blinking growing exhaustion from his eyes, Ren looked forward again. "What's your name, ma'am?" he suddenly asked.

The hand ghosting small circles against his back hiccuped for only a moment. "Rakki," she answered, "It's Rakki." They continued to sit in silence for a couple more minutes, before Rakki pulled the water away from his skin and spilled it back into her small bowl. 

Moving became easier again, so Ren had no problems getting dressed. Though the healer had gotten up and strode to the other end of the hut, where she put aside the bowl before getting to work with...whatever she was doing, Ren had no plans of leaving right away. Tugging on the edge of his tunic, he got to his feet. "If you don't mind," he led with, causing Rakki to turn around, "can I just ask a few things?" She nodded. "Okay, then, is there anything you can tell me about waterbending?"

She laughed, quickly smothering it with the furry sleeve of her parka. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.." Rakki lowered her arm to reveal a smile. "That's just really random," she admitted, "I always thought it was kind of self-explanatory." She waited a moment to look him over, brow furrowing as she seemed to think back to something else. "Ah, wait... You're the last from your tribe, aren't you?"

Ren nodded.

"Then, please forgive me. I shouldn't have said that." 

 

Rakki gestured to the middle of the hut where the mannequin was resting, leading the teen over before taking a seat on the floor. Once he was seated next to her, she tucked her hands into the warmth of her parka, head lulled to the side in thought. "Well, our people learned waterbending by watching the moon and the way it pulled the ocean," she began to explain, "I think that's general knowledge though. We're the only ones who weren't taught our element by a creature, like badgermoles did earthbenders. We learned it directly from the world around us, from _spirits_."

Zaken had only just touched on the basics of waterbending's origins. He had said that it wasn't important at the time, that learning techniques took priority. So, while his aunt had told him about the moon and the ocean, Ren didn't really know much outside of that. This, so early on, was shedding a lot of light into the darkness for him. He leaned forward, hunched as he listened intently. The mention of spirits felt like it related specifically to him.

She read his interest well, going on about the history of the two spirits that watched over the water tribes. "Tui and La," Rakki said, "the moon and ocean spirit, respectively. It is said that they gave up their life as spirits to live among man, the only spirits known to do something so...foolish, I suppose is the word. No one knows what form they took or the true reason as to why."

"How do you know it's foolish then?" Ren suddenly interjected, "If no one knows the reason behind it, then why would it be foolish?"

Her expression turned heavy and grim, sorrow making her eyes run moist. Rakki's jaw clenched as she responded, quite simply, "The first attack on our tribe."

 

They were crossing into _highly_ unknown territory now. All Ren had some idea about was the second attack - the one Toru was involved with, and the one Arnook had briefly explained upon his arrival - but he knew close to nothing about the first one. Folding his arms tightly over his chest, he nodded, urging her to continue. Rakki actually seemed reluctant to say anymore, shoulders hunching like she wanted to bury deeper into her furs.

After a while, it was like she found her voice. The woman averted her gaze and found more interest in the mannequin nearby, finally going on to say, "It was a nightmare... I lost my husband in the attack, but... I can honestly say that there was something far worse than that tragedy." Rakki turned over with a sullen stare. "We lost the moon that day," she said, "Apparently, the man who attacked us - he made a speech after we lost, I think he called himself Admiral Zhao - had found the location of the spirits. I never thought it was possible to just _find_ them. But after the moon disappeared from the sky, I had no choice but to believe it. You know what that means, don't you, Avatar?"

He did. Ren's blood ran like ice in his veins - his heart almost stopped completely. Someone...killed a spirit? How was that even possible?! His mind went haywire with the terrible, gut-wrenching thought of a spirit dying, of it being pinned and killed like prey. For a moment, Ren was worried he'd have a panic attack, trying to remember how to breathe again as he did his best to pick apart the details. "B-but... The moon isn't- It's not gone," he gasped, "It's in the sky every day, it goes through its phases..!"  
Not only that, but, technically, Ren had met the moon spirit before. Tui couldn't have possibly been killed if he could see her, if he made contact with her. Avatar or not, it's not possible to speak with something that ceased to exist.

 

"A few days passed," Rakki continued, "and the ocean started to move again with the tides. That very night, the moon reappeared in the sky. Chief Arnook told us that Tui had returned to us, that his daughter, the princess, had found a way to heal her. I never heard of a spirit being revived, yet who was I do deny it? She must not have died, is what I thought. Her injuries must've been grave but not enough to kill her. We had our hope back, and our reason to live with it. That's precisely why the Fire Nation _needed_ a second attack."

She seemed a little proud with the last statement. As if the return of the moon could overwrite the panic that ensued when it vanished, make up for the casualities of the siege and let everything be okay. Ren nodded, letting out a heavy breath of relief. His panic had begun to subside in large swaths, starting with the memory of the woman he met and finishing with the return of the moon in Rakki's story. Still, there were a few things he didn't understand; had he really missed someone so important..? With a small huff, he tilted his head to the side. "I've been here for a while," he said, "I've been in the throne room a few times, but I never saw the princess. Is she sick or something?"

A sorrowful look took over the healer's features for a moment, but it passed just as quickly as it appeared, acting as perhaps just a figment of his imagination. She shook her head, responding, "I haven't seen her since. Chief Arnook never answered us directly when we asked about her, but we all figured that she was...spirited away. How else could she have healed the moon spirit?" 

 

Spirited away? Now, that didn't make sense... He may not have been an expert on the affairs of spirits, but Ren was _pretty_ sure that spirits didn't just whisk people away like that. If they did, then the Avatar wouldn't be such a big deal; if other people could exist in the spirit world, they wouldn't need the Avatar to act as a conduit. Now that he thought about it, he wondered what La looked like. If he was truly the opposite of Tui or if the Tui that Ren had seen was just an adaptation - a form that was easily accepted by his mind. 

If that was the case, then what about the other spirits he had seen during the Winter Solstice? Was that their natural form? Could... Could spirits change their shape? If they were truly such an influential spirit like the spirit of the _moon_ , then it didn't exactly make sense that she'd have to change her form in front of the Avatar. It was his duty to communicate with them, so her natural form should've been enough. At the same time, if he really, deeply considered it, the woman he met didn't feel like just a spirit.

' _Oh,_ ' Ren suddenly thought, ' _Your name isn't Tui, is it..._ '

Rakki didn't seem to see the shift in his expression or the lift to his posture; his look of recognition went completely unnoticed. She sighed, hanging her head. "She was a beautiful young woman," the healer reminisced, "Princess Yue was soft spoken, lovely, and so sweet. She was to be married to Hahn, one of our best soldiers, but after a stealth attack planned on the commanding ship, he never came back. I guess it doesn't matter now... They're both gone." Another sigh. "Oh, princess... I hope you're okay, wherever you are."

 

He didn't need any confirmation. It felt like it connected in the end, he just didn't fully understand how it was possible. Maybe one of these days he'd ask the moon spirit directly- Yue, that must've been her name. The sun was beginning to sink deep beyond the horizon; he had kept Rakki for far longer than he meant to, their shadows stretching to fill the entire hut. Shifting back and forth on his heels, Ren lifted a hand. "I just have one more question for you, if you don't mind."

"Oh, no, that's fine."

"How come you guys don't learn waterbending?" he asked, "I mean, you clearly have the skill for it. Why do you only serve as a healer?"

 

It was like he crossed a line he was never suppose to touch. Rakki scoffed, pushing herself up onto her feet. "Now, that _definitely_ should've been obvious," she said, "but maybe things are different in our sister tribe." Dusting off her legs, the woman shook her head, stooping to pick up the mannequin as well. "It's custom here for the women to learn healing, and for the men to learn fighting. Can you imagine life without us healers? It's a very important role."

Ren's eyes narrowed in confusion and his brow furrowed, like he didn't understand. Which, as a matter of fact, was true. What was this woman saying..? He stood with her, lifting his arms almost theatrically, "But with everyone gone, and Master Pakku being the last waterbending master among you guys, shouldn't that be a bit different?" Once Pakku kicked the bucket, that was it. Yes, healing was important, but the rest of the world didn't have extremely capables healers either. People made it far enough on their own. How could that have possibly been more important than at least _learning_ a crucial piece of culture? One that was dying before their very eyes, no less...

But maybe Rakki didn't see it like that. She rolled her shoulders, bringing the mannequin over to others of the same design and turning back to face him. "I don't think so. Customs are important, just like the people who uphold it." That was it. She had nothing left to add. 

 

Ren bid farewell to the woman, thanking her for the time she spent both healing him and educating him on the things he missed. Stepping out of the hut, he lingered just beyond the threshold, frowning at the shadow covered tribe as the sun continued to set. Maybe he was... Maybe he was the one missing something... His tribe had been so small that he never noticed any of the duties shared among the people as being unbalanced. His tribe had been so _familiar_ , that he probably wouldn't have noticed if there was.

Next to him, someone coughed. He nearly sprung out of his skin, staggering to the side as he looked down. An old woman with thin brown eyes, long gray hair tied in little knots down her back, and dressed in a thick coat, was sitting beside the entrance to the healing hut, a thin smile pulled across her face. She didn't look at him, didn't even acknowledge that he was there. Instead, she coughed once more into her arm and scrunched her nose when a sneeze tickled past.

Just some old lady... Back in the hut, he heard Rakki call, "Mom? You out there? I'll just be a minute."

He nodded a quick greeting to the old woman before hurrying on his way. The last thing he wanted now was to upet Rakki even more by "bothering" her elderly mother. It seemed like his little interrogation had made her a little annoyed. Hopefully he wouldn't need anymore healing starting tomorrow.

**~#~#~**

Over the course of a few days, Ren was becoming more atuned to the presence of Rakki's elderly mother. Wherever he looked, she was there, just sitting with her face towards the ocean. When he'd be practicing with Pakku, slowly recognizing where his mistakes might be coming from, she'd be sitting on the top of the stairs, looking out. It was like she just shuffled to one place, stayed there for half the day, then shuffled to the next, and repeated the cycle every day. On one day in particular, his opinion of her completely changed.

An exercise that Pakku was having him do involved passing an orb of water back in forth in an even, flowing pattern. They traded control without letting the shape falter or the speed hitch; it was vastly different from the usual high-paced, break-neck antics Pakku usually planned. This time, Rakki's mother was seated at the base of the stairs - something completely different from her usual system but, at the time, Ren didn't think anything of it.

He was too busy thinking about other things anyways. Ever since his visit to the healing huts, Ren kept thinking about what customs the Southern Water Tribe had. That is to say, if they had any at all. He thought about what they could've been, what parts of them were similar to those of the Northern Water Tribe and what the origins might've been. No matter how intensely he sorted through his memories, Ren couldn't recall one time where the duties given to a woman seemed _lesser_ than those given to a man. Again, he had to wonder if that had anything to do with their size. If only he could remember what the southern tribe was life before the war...

 

"You're distracted, again," Pakku announced as the orb made its pass through his reach. A mischevious light glinted in his eyes, the elder pulling back the stream only to snap it forward. Ren nearly fell to the ground with how quickly he tried to dodge the tip of Pakku's water whip. "Pay attention," he was saying, each crack of the whip like emphasis on each individual word. "Eyes, forward. Feet, planted. Shoulders, _back._ "

Ren danced around like a deer, doing his best to both adhere to the elder's advice and keep from getting a new mark on his skin. Once it became clear that Pakku was just doing this for fun, with the next flex of the water whip, he extended his arm forward and moved it in tight circles. "Could you just stop already!" he demanded in his frustration. The thin stream of water slipped from Pakku's hand, following Ren's motion until the whip was wrapped around his forearm. All at once, he threw his hand down; the water spilled and absorbed into the crystals of ice at his feet. 

A moment of complete and total silence passed. Pakku looked like he wanted to say something, sparing a glance down at his hand with the palm turned up. Before either of the males could say anything, from behind Ren came a gentle, "Oh dear.."

 

Ren nearly choked when he turned around. Somehow - he didn't know how - by tossing down the water that Pakku was manipulating, he must've tossed too far back or _something_ , because a trail of solid ice had stretched from him to the tops of Rakki's mother's feet. She didn't seem upset, maybe just a bit inconvenienced, but Ren could already hear Rakki's angry voice in his head.

"Go help the poor woman," Pakku ordered with the wave of his hand, turning away and huffing.

"R-right..!" The teen scrambled over, hunching in front of the woman with hands outstretched. "I'm so, so sorry, ma'am!" he frantically apologized, "I didn't mean to do that. Are you okay?"

 

"Oh, yes," she answered, turning her head to look at what had happened to her feet. "Don't worry, sweetie, you didn't do anything wrong." Reaching downward, the elder ghosted her hand over the ice, pulling it up and _off_ of herself in the form of water. Ren stared at her with a dumbfounded expression, no longer sure what he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to act. As she gathered the water into a sphere and froze it solid, he was...at a complete loss for words.

Her eyebrows raised curiously, eyes widening slightly. But it was all in her own amusement. She set the ice ball down in Ren's outstretched hands and helped him curl his limp fingers around it. "It's all in good fun, dear," she said with smile, "Just don't tell my daughter~"

**~**

Ren found himself sitting in on another healing lesson that same day, arms folded and shoulders raised. He watched with the intensity of a hawk, listened carefully and tried to find _something_ that supported his theory. Rakki gave him a quizzical stare but he shook his head; he wasn't here for questions, just to learn. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, setting her young students off to practice on mannequins in pairs of two. As he stood there, the realization slowly began to dawn on him:

Healing didn't require freezing the water.

**~#~**

Practice was cancelled. Pakku had a hard time getting out of bed that morning, so when Ren stopped by, he simply told him to practice moving water in different arches. It was a simple enough task, but what really bothered the teen was the state his teacher had been in... His age really showed when he was weak and haggard. How old even was Pakku?

Standing in the small pool of water on the far side of the courtyard was a task in and of itself, but it was part of his master's instructions. Ren did his best to keep from shuddering against the cold, focusing on his breathing instead. Once he was sure he could at least stand without knocking himself down, the teen got to work, pulling up a stream of water and working it in a tall arc; the goal was to bend it above the main source, keeping a solid shape without coming into contact with the surface.

Around and around, bigger arcs then smaller arcs. Eventually, he got used to the cold water swallowing his lower half. So absorbed in his practice - it wasn't too hard now that Pakku wasn't breathing down his neck - Ren didn't notice the stout little body that hobbled over to him. She leaned against the side of the basin, head cocked and lips curled in a smile. He glanced at Rakki's mother, she stared at him.

 

"U-uh... Ma'am..?"

"My name's Kurka, sweetie."

"Kurka, okay, uh..." His arms tucked close to his sides and his stream spilled back into the pool. Twisting his body to look at her fully, Ren's brow furrowed. "What did you want from me?" he asked, "There's no way we're only _just_ now talking if there's not a reason. You've had plenty of chances.."

She chuckled. Kurka turned her back to the pool and slid down its wall, seating herself on the ground with her legs crossed beneath her. Casually, the elder brushed her braids back, keeping that same smile on her face like it was second nature. At this point, Ren didn't know what to do with himself. Did he continue his training or did he prod her for answers? Opting for the former, he gathered a bubbly sphere between his hands, staring down at his own reflection yet still...hesitating.  
What was he waiting for..?

 

Ice cracked across the surface of the water sphere, turning it into a solid form in the palm of his hand - just like the day before. Reaching out, he dropped the orb into the snow, watching intently as Kurka spared it a glance. Then, she chuckled for a second time. "Good question, sweetie," the woman said, "I know you've checked on another one of Kiki's lessons." Kiki must've been a nickname for Rakki. 

He leaned against the edge of the pool, crossing his arms as he nodded, "Yeah, I'm just trying to understand your little stunt."

"It wasn't a stunt," Kurka made to argue, waggling a gloved finger up at him. "I was just practicing. See, I heard your little discussion with my daughter, about how things should be different with Pakku being the last real waterbender." Dropping her hand into her lap, he watched as a stern shadow crossed the woman's expression. "I've always wanted things to be different, sweetie... For my daughter at first, but now that she's fallen into the same rut as everyone else, I want something different for my granddaughter. For my great grandchildren."

 

Oh... _Oh._

Ren sloppily pulled himself out of the pool, tumbling against the snow and shivering when the bite of winter pierced his drenched skin. He had kept his boots on for the sake of his toes, but now his toes were threatening to go numb! From the corner of his eyes, he watched as Kurka slipped off her mittens and began to help in his struggle, dragging the water off his legs - which was closest to her - while he rolled onto his back and tried to dry himself at the waist.

It was refreshing to see her move without complaint, to see her move her arms like a well-practiced dance that, as far as he could tell, no other woman seemed capable of doing. With her help, Ren was relatively dry in a matter of minutes. He snuggled deeper into his jacket before leaning against the pool with her. Curling his fingers in the deepest, warmest parts of his mittens, Ren looked up and watched the clouds roll by.

"Your culture is dying," he bluntly stated, as if coming to the full realization himself, "Gender never played such a crucial part back home in the South Pole. But maybe that was because we were so...scarce, you know?" He turned his head to look at Kurka, who was watching him with care. "The women do just as much, if not more than the men. So maybe women... They're _our_ culture at least. Why aren't they yours?" 

 

Her laugh bubbled into a heavy, throaty cough, one she buried deep in the collar of her coat. "I've been wondering the same thing for years," she confessed with a sigh, "I was a healer first, but in my old age I grew tired of it.. My abilities let me treat any boo-boos and headaches, which makes me a real good grandma, but what else? Then, I started playing dumb." Kurka tapped her finger against the side of her nose, nodding in a knowing sort of way as she said, "I act like my age, which means no one gets suspicious when I oversee waterbending training~"

Ren couldn't help but smile. This woman next to him - this woman who appeared to have sought him out of her own accord - was devious, was clever, and above all else, seemed sincere. The way she spoke gave it all away; though she talked about herself the most, her intention was out of the thought of her family. He sat forward and let his bangs hang loosely around his face. "Do you think anything will change?" he asked her. It was an open-ended question, one that wouldn't have a proper answer for another couple of years.

When her great granddaughter would hear stories of that time the Avatar came to the North Pole.

"Someday it will," Kurka decided after a moment of thought, "That's what I'm hoping for, at least." They would continue to sit in a silence that spoke volumes on its own. Deep down, Ren wondered if anything _could've_ changed had he been born a different person. If he had been born a woman, if he had been born sooner, with a different fate than what was woven before him. Maybe a different Avatar, maybe a different kid... They stared at the palace, not at the ocean like Kurka usually did, but that was okay. They just missed the warning signs as, far along the horizon, splashing against the rough winter seas, a black speck was making its approach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The impact Katara had on the North Water Tribe is incredible. While I wanted to illustrate a similar moment, I realized that there was no way Ren could have the same effect.
> 
> And that's fine. I hope my little nod to what he can't do is done well enough, and addresses it properly.  
> It's thanks to Katara that the North Pole changed, but who's to say that there wasn't someone there constantly wishing for such a change?
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> **Up next, the beginning of the end. . .**


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a time when Ren had finally grown at peace with himself and his fate, the life he has come to accept is flipped on its head. A Fire Nation Naval Admiral has come to the North Pole, demanding answers as he hangs the Northern Water Tribe's defeat over their head. Somehow, he knows the Avatar is there; and he's not above manipulation to get answers like his superior did.
> 
> The spirits are in disarray and the fate of the world trembles in anticipation, hoping, silently, for change. As the final arc begins to climax, will Ren make up for the failures of his past lives or will this go down as yet another tragedy?

A voice whispered, calling out amidst the darkness the Avatar had found himself trapped in. Was he asleep or was he awake? Was he trapped or was he free? Who was he to say... Ren felt something warm and calloused clasp over his mouth, the voice speaking much more clearly in his ear the second time. "Kid, wake up," it said, "It's urgent." Something was pressing down on him, weighing against his bruised and tender side. It was enough to at least stir him, but was not nearly as successful as the next statement: "Ren, the Fire Nation is _here_." 

He thrashed back to life, arms swinging and legs kicking wildly. While his eyes hurried to focus in the dim light of his room, the weight on his side shifted until it was completely on top of him, pinning down his legs while another hand grabbed one of his wrists. Blinking frantically, the face looming over his own became clear. Ren shed all tension from his body at that moment, sagging against the furs still tangled around him and sinking his head back against the pillow. "Stay quiet," Toru warned in a whisper. The hand over his mouth slipped away. 

Taking a breath, Ren tried to relax again but it was almost impossible. His mind was _spinning_. Tilting his head slightly, he searched the firebender's face for some kind of explanation, finding nothing but a look less panicked than his own. "What... What happened?" Ren asked, keeping his voice low, "What do you mean they're here??"

Toru let the younger slip free from under him, turning so that he could set his feet down on the floor. He hung his head, twiddling his thumbs in a nervous fit as he said, "I don't know how no one noticed it earlier, but a warship is a mile out from the center of the wall. They would've been a few days out at the speed they're going when the vessel would become visible, yet it went completely undetected.. It's small, and it's a little more decorated.. Arnook took me to see it from the lookout post and... And I think I recognize it." Something was horribly wrong with that whole sentence, but the biggest issue was the sheer anxiety that Toru was radiating. It was heavy like a pungent scent, sharp like the teeth of a wild animal, and brittle like thin ice. This was _new_.

 

Footsteps echoed in a rapid step through the hall, sending both males on high-alert. Toru muttered something under his breath as he climbed to his feet, tensed and extending one hand back behind him almost _protectively_. He even went so far as to tense his other arm, fist clenched in anticipation. Ren understood the reason why anyone would be panicked, but maybe not to the degree that Toru was. He kept an eye on the door as he reached for his boots, slipping them on quickly before sitting up on his knees. They watched and waited...

Suddenly, to their surprise it was Pakku who burst into the room, eyes wide and wild. He spared Toru an almost fearful, wary glance before looking at Ren. "You both need to hide," he ordered, "An admiral of the navy just arrived, he's being led to the palace right now." When neither Toru nor Ren moved right away, a vein nearly exploded from the elder's temple. He waved frantically for them to follow him out in the hall. "He's a loud talker, and word is spreading fast as to why he's here, but no one is getting a straight answer.. All we know is that he plans on having a very public meeting with the chief. We need to keep you two out of the way until we know what he wants."

"We can't just hide," Ren found himself arguing, coming around the foot of the bed, "Master Pakku, I'm not going to hide. If it's going to be public anyways, then isn't there a chance we can just...blend in or something? Or just take me."

"Look, I don't have the time-"

"Take me instead." Heads turned to face Toru, who had tensed up with his arms over his chest. He looked sick to the stomach, so far beyond uneasy as he spoke, "I need to be sure this is who I think it is. That way after he talks his heart out, I can let you guys know what the motives are; that's _if_ I'm right about this." There was no way he wanted to go, Ren just couldn't decipher why he was volunteering.

 

Before the elder could argue any further, someone else was coming down the hall at break-neck speed. They were surprised again - at least, Ren was - when Rakki entered the room, disheveled looking and panic. "Chief Arnook," she gasped between breaths, "was asked to gather all healers and soldiers, all elders, all injured or sick. Whoever this guy is...he's just... He's only asking for an audience with those kinds of people. It's too specific..!" Her wide eyes focused on Ren. "Do you think... Do you think he knows you're here..?" she asked.

His blood went cold and all color drained from his face at the thought. There was no way this admiral would be able to point him out in a crowd. Ren couldn't remember the faces of the soldiers he saw in prison, but there hadn't been any visits from anyone more important than the warden himself. The only reference their invader had was a drawn image. But, Toru on the other hand... If he could recognize the admiral, then the admiral could recognize him.

Rakki had started to hyperventilate, fanning her face feverishly. She looked to Pakku as her mouth open and closed like a fish, unable to make a sound; she couldn't find the words to say, so in their place, tears started to fall from her eyes. The elder placed his hands on her shoulder, speaking under his breath in quick, sturdy tones. All Rakki could do was nod. 

 

Pakku turned around with a hardened expression. "We don't have much of a choice," he admitted, "because while people are in the throne room, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll send his own rats through the entire city in search of someone who matches the description he's looking for. We're not going to give him anything to find." He pointed a gnarled finger at Ren first, saying, "We have no young men here anymore, at least none that are waterbenders. Rakki, get a longer parka from one of the rooms and something for his hair. And as for you..."

Toru flinched. 

"There's no one else here that looks like you, so we're going to have to come up with something. It's better to keep you at arm's reach than out of sight, right?"

**~#~**

As the healers and healers-in-training shuffled into the throne room, what greeted them was just a single man in decorative Fire Nation armor. He didn't have the courtesy to stay kneeling before the chief he had come to visit, instead turning with his arms raised dramatically. "Wow!" he exclaimed, "There's more of you than I remember! Though you certainly took your time getting here."

"Many of them are old, Admiral Zuong, please be patient with them.."

At the name - Admiral Zuong - the firebender at Ren's side tensed up. ' _He knows him,_ ' he silently noted, tightening his grip on Toru's arm as they followed the flow of the crowd to the left wall. Before they could get much farther, this Zuong character snapped his fingers, instead gesturing to the pillar a few meters _away_ from the wall. This was closer to the center of the throne room, and closer to him. There was no other option but to obey.

 

Ren and Toru sat on their heels much closer than either would've liked, locked in on all other sides by girls and their seniors. They kept their arms locked together like a tether; Toru was dressed to look like a severely injured patient of the healers, incapable of helping himself due to the bandages around his face. They found red ink to stain some of the bandages, so it almost looked believable. The other half of the story was that Ren - dressed in a parka more befitting a woman and with half his hair pinned up by the feather of an arctic bird and a clip - was the healer-in-training that tended to him. 

On the other side of the room were the soldiers, the personal guard to the chief, and a handful of elders Ren had never seen before. Zuong spared everyone a single glance, his lips curled in a cat-like grin. He was quite...ratty, actually. His eyebrows were splayed in all directions, his eyes were constantly darting around the room, his hair was slick with grease, and though he was tall, it was obvious in the way he stood that he naturally had a slouch. 

Not today, however. Today he was putting on a display.

Arnook clapped his hands together loudly, forcing a smile onto his face. "Everyone is here," he said, "so, why don't we begin? What brings you here, Admiral?"

 

Zuong didn't go back to kneeling, or even sitting for that matter, taking large strides close to the chief. "Do you remember my superior?" the admiral asked rather randomly, "Surely you do. Eighteen years ago or so, when he came to conquer this place? The mighty moonkiller as he likes to be called - Zhao the Conquerer." Every single person in the room tensed, all for different reasons. Toru leaned helplessly against the brunet next to him, shaking under his blue layers and the bandages encasing his head like a cast. For him, this must've been hell.

Despite the fear prickling through the air, somehow Arnook managed to keep his stare even. He didn't verbally answer and only nodded.

This was like a prompt to continue. "And then!" he boasted, pivoting on his heel to address the whole room, "Fourteen years later, I arrive with my men and we make a deal like civilized people, now isn't that right?" No answers. Zuong didn't burst into a rage or demand a response, but instead took it like a man receiving a prize. He whirled back to face Arnook and, suddenly, a darkness turned his expression bitter. "I thought we were friends, Arnook," he said with a slight whimper, "and yet you hide something wonderful from me."

 

With the next turn on his leading foot, Ren's fate sealed itself; he had locked eyes with the admiral. Zuong gave him a crooked smile and took a step closer, then closer still. There was nowhere to run. Desperate, frantic, and almost on the verge of tears as his body _choked_ the life right out of him, Ren squeezed the arm in his hold even more tightly, pressing next to Toru like a lifeline. The firebender couldn't save him now.

Zuong crouched in front of the teen, head cocked to the side. "I take it back," he corrected, "You've hidden _two_ things from me." His breath was like the scent of a dead skunk... It made Ren's eyes water even more. The man extended a hand forward, bringing it close to Ren's face before purring, "Hello, darling. Didn't see you last time I was here. I wouldn't have left without you had I noticed."

It must've been out of reflex or panic, or _something_ , because Toru suddenly lurched, startling just about everyone in a three meter radius. Zuong reared back with a wide-eyed expression, glaring at the male like he had just interrupted something important. "What's your problem?" he hissed, "Can't you tell that I'm trying to have a conversation here?" The pressure in the room spiked dangerously high, the conceited Admiral taking personal offense towards the reaction of a wounded man. It was merely a testament to what kind of character he truly was - as if Ren didn't already have an idea...

  


Arnook cleared his throat. "Please be serious, Admiral Zuong," he implored, pulling all attention back to him, "I haven't hidden anything from you, I swear. Doing so would be a direct violation of our agreement, which you _know_ I would never risk."

This was just enough to get Zuong to back away. Ren breathed a heavy, _heavy_ sigh of relief, leaning closer to Toru in thanks. It would appear that he had gone unrecognized - the both of them, actually - and the only reason Zuong had been so infatuated was because... Well, he didn't know why, he just knew that they were in the clear for now. 

"That's what I thought," Zuong told the chief as he placed his hands on his hips, "but, maybe that changed." Whirling to face the people gathered in the throne room, he puffed out his chest and exclaimed, "From what I hear, the Avatar is among us!" The tribesmen flinched and perked up all in one fluid motion, taken aback by the sudden claim. No one could deny it, but primarily because this was such a strange turn of events. "Reports have indicated that the Avatar, a young man, was headed East, but then next thing we know, one of our operatives had an encounter with him just before he went _North_." A pause, purely for dramatic effect.

He clapped his hands together, turning slowly to face Arnook once more. "I received word that the Avatar is truly here," he concluded with a crooked, heavy smirk, "Come now, Arnook. Unlike my glorious superior, Zhao, I promised to leave your precious spirits alone so long as you didn't do anything suspicious. So, what do you think my only choice left is?"

 

Out of impulse, Ren found himself starting to untangle from the man at his side and push up to a kneel. How dare he _threaten_ the safety of the spirits! Arnook had already lost his daughter to the first invasion, so there was no way he could stand to lose her for good. It was only thanks to an elderly healer behind him snagging onto the bottom of his coat that he never made it to a stand. Toru's hand snaked in front of his chest, grabbing a fistful of fabric before pulling him down. In turn, the teen desperately looked around, his eyes silently demanding why no one was going to let him go.

Kurka at his rear shook her head, Toru wrapped his second arm around his waist to keep him still, and even the other healers surrounding him bore stern expressions. He asked them, ' _Why..?!_ '  
Their answer remained vague. 

 

"Admiral Zuong," Arnook suddenly said, rising to his feet, "I would not dare to risk the safety of our protective spirits, nor the safety of my people, for a person who had abandoned us in our time of need."

' _Oh._ '

Such an answer seemed to intrigue the Fire Nation Admiral, who cocked his head to the side. "Is that so?" he questioned, "Even if he's just a young boy? One of your own?"

"Our sister tribe died a long time ago, as I recall. And even if he's a young boy - even if he was just born at the time of the attack - the blame falls on the same soul." Arnook straightened his posture, arms tense at his side. "We are grateful to you for your mercy and diplomacy," he insisted, "and wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the peace we have found."

 

Ren fell back on his heels, his body feeling as if it went limp with the snap of his fingers. He understood what Arnook was saying; it was what he _had_ to say. Yet, all the same, he knew that it had been true at the time. They were foresaken by him - the him of a different life. No matter what, that decision still rested on his shoulders, just like the decision to return did. Behind him, Kurka whispered to not worry, but how could he not?

After a minute of silence, Zuong shrugged his shoulders, "That's what I like to hear. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if I stay for a while." Before Arnook could ask why, the man shook his head. "Think of it as a routine check," he said, "I just would like to see how my "friends" are managing, four years after the last visit."

"...Very well. Are we done here, then?"

"As done as we need to be. It's still early, so I'll be walking around. Don't worry about giving me a place to stay; I have plenty of men here who would gladly open their homes to me."

The meeting came to a close, no one moving until after Zuong had left the room. With the doors creaking shut behind him, a woman bit back a horrid, heart-wrenching sob, folding further into herself with dread. In a sense, she had just become the embodiment of what Ren was feeling. Arnook dismissed everyone with the wave of his hand and no other sounds filled the empty air. 

 

Toru and Ren were the last to move. The former was relying on the latter as his eyes, but his eyes weren't exactly...working. He leaned deeply against the teen, "Talk to me," he urged in a quiet voice. Toru didn't dare to remove the bandages on his face in fear that they'd be spotted, but even without them, he would've still been like a blur in the corner of Ren's sight. By the time the teen reacted, there was no one else in the throne room but Arnook, his wife, and Pakku.

He turned his head slightly, staring blankly at the thick wrappings that covered his companion's head. Toru's arm was still wrapped around his waist, his hand was still loosely gripping the front of his parka. In the moment, they had been a way to hold him back. Now they were more like a soothing way to pull him back to the present. 

"Can't you at least say something..? Kid?"

Pakku sharply clicked his cane against the floor, ordering, "Both of you, come over here. We need to talk."

 

It was impossible to find his voice. Ren gingerly pryed the hands that held him from the fabric of his coat, eventually coming to hoist Toru onto his feet. He could practically feel the stare that burned through the disguising bandages. It screamed worry, something he felt incredibly guilty for; now wasn't the time for people to be worrying about him. Still, as much as he resented it, Ren couldn't bring himself to power through. His mind raced, his heart trembled. What were they even doing..?!

They kneeled in front of the throne, waiting for Arnook to say something. The chief looked at his wife for a long, lingering moment, then at the waterbending master. He finally sighed, coming down the first two steps. "It would appear," he began, "that my lie did little to send him away. You know I didn't mean any offense to you, don't you? Yes, I was enraged and betrayed that the Avatar did nothing to help us, but I am just as bad as the Fire Nation if I blame a _baby_ for something he couldn't control." When Ren didn't answer, Arnook shook his head, muttering, "It also makes my heart ache when I remember that, in order for you to have been born, the Avatar must've died. So I can't attack him for something like that..."

"What..." Eyes focused on the brunet. "What are we going to do..?" Ren asked, hanging his head, "If he finds out you were lying about keeping me here, then he'll attack the spirits again, won't he? You should've just sold me out. I know what happened the first time; that can't be allowed to happen again."

 

A somber silence fell over the group, one that screamed heartache. When Ren risked a glance up again, his throat constricted at the sight of both Arnook and his wife's eyes glistening wetly. He didn't mean to remind them of their loss, but at the same time he had to make them understand. "They're not going to kill me," he insisted, "so if you handed me over, then everyone would be safe. Including the spirits. Besides, even if they did..." 

' _Shut up!_ ' he silently urged, something deep inside of him begging for the words to remain swallowed, ' _Shut up, shut up, don't say it..!_ '

Ren shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, what's the difference, right? The Avatar would just come back again."

That did horrors to his mental state. It was too grim for the conversation, not to mention the total opposite of what he felt. Dying wasn't a big deal? As if! There was no way the Fire Nation would kill him for that very reason alone. This was the point he was trying to make, and in attempting to do so completely diverged from the topic. Ren had just...never considered death before, and now he was realizing how much he feared the idea. Especially if it meant that part of him would continue to live; it was a part that was so far from being _him_ that it just made things worse. He should've listened to himself... He should've just stopped talking.

 

At his side, Toru feverishly pulled the bandages off his face with both hands. The expression that had been hidden beneath the wrappings bore an abhorrent amount of shock, disbelief, and deep seeded anger. He lashed out, snagging Ren's arm with an iron grip. "You better be kidding," he hissed, "because if you're not, then we need to have a _serious_ talk."

Ren shuddered under his stare, "W-what? I can't let spirits die or an entire group of people suffer if the solution is to just get arrested again."

"Not that part, you idiot.. 'What's the _difference_ '?!"

Yes, he knew what Toru was talking about. The thing is, he regretted the words so much that all Ren wanted to do was move on. He shook his head rapidly. "That's not-" He struggled to find the words, flustered and aching. "Toru, really, I was just..."

 

"We're not talking about the Avatar here," Arnook suddenly interjected. He was standing in front of the two benders now, lowering himself to one knee with a hardened expression. "We're talking about a child who may or not have some great destiny on his back. We're talking about a young man with a greater purpose and a gentle heart." He tilted his head and smiled, reaching out a hand to place it against Ren's chest. "We're talking about Renya."

He took a moment to think, picking his words carefully as he said, "And, Renya, you're a brother of ours. The spirits would understand."

Ren didn't entirely believe that yet at the same time he did. Having met the moon spirit personally, something told him she wouldn't take any offense to him being saved over herself. But, with that being said, he didn't think he could bare the burden of costing the spirits their lives. "Even so," Ren argued, "there's got to be something we can do. _Anything_ to help, right..? Even if Zuong doesn't realize, there's still the danger. Even after I leave, that threat will always be there."

Arnook nodded in agreement. He took the time to rise back to his full height, bearing a heavy smile on his lips. "You may be right," he said, "so I think it's time you met the spirits yourself."

 

His heart stopped in his chest. Toru's hand slipped from his arm in disbelief; they were both at a sudden loss for words. Meeting the spirits..? _Properly_? In the form they had taken upon living in this world, no less... Rakki had said that the spirits were believed to be living in the North Pole, and this Zhao person managed to find them. With Ren's eyes widening, he fought to speak. "Wait... Seriously..?"

"Yes. We've left their sanctuary alone for their sakes, but you're here with us now. It's about time you were shown the Spirit Oasis."


End file.
